Cottage clash is our chance - Laws
Published: 08 Feb 2010 - 15:38:40
The Clarets beat West Ham 2-1 on Saturday in a typically dynamic performance at Turf Moor to give Laws his first win since being appointed manager last month. Burnley's form at home has been impressive all season but it has been a different story on the road, with the team drawing one and losing 11 of their 12 away matches in the league. That record has been the main reason for their recent slide down to 19th place in the table, but Saturday's result saw them shoot up to 15th, two points clear of the relegation zone. Laws is eager to see his players sustain the momentum and, with Fulham having won only once in eight league games, he feels Craven Cottage could be the ideal place for the Clarets to finally overcome their travel sickness. 'We haven't won away all season so that is our objective, to change that mentality, and there is no better one (for that) than against Fulham," Laws said. "They are not playing as well as they would like, I know that and I know (Fulham boss) Roy Hodgson would say the same thing. "We've got to go into this with confidence. All the pressure will be on them, not on us, and those kinds of elements do even themselves out. "That's the kind of encouragement I'll be giving to the players." He added: "Fulham will be looking at the Burnley game as one that can lift their season. However, they are not in great shape. "They are in fantastic shape in terms of being in the Premier League, have got a good points tally already this year and will be comfortable finishers in the end. "But it's a good time (to play them), and with us winning on Saturday I think we can take a lot out of that and it will give us an extra 10 to 15% more confidence in ourselves to take into the game." Laws has no fresh injury concerns ahead of Tuesday night's match and defender Stephen Jordan is pushing to be in contention after two weeks out with a hamstring strain. Chris McCann's recovery from a knee problem is progressing well but the game at Craven Cottage is too soon for him, while Graham Alexander (calf) and Steven Caldwell (groin) remain sidelined. Meanwhile, the club have unveiled ambitious plans for the redevelopment of Turf Moor as part of a project that also includes the country's first 'Football University'. Clarets chief executive Paul Fletcher is leading the 'Premier Plan' in conjunction with Burnley Borough Council and The Prince's Charities. The proposals, which Fletcher expects will take two to three years to reach fruition, would see a "StadiArena" stand erected in place of the David Fishwick Stand at Turf Moor, which would be employed to stage concerts and conferences in addition to its use for football. Laws hailed the news as further evidence that the club - who won promotion to the top flight for the first time in 33 years last summer - is heading in the right direction. "Any football club that stands still is going backwards for me and this is just another large step forward for this football club," Laws said. "Regeneration, change and progress are what this football club has been striving for for a long, long time and the fact is we are now very close to it. "We're moving forward so it's great news."
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