Longest Journey of the Season for Dyche's Clarets

15 December 2017 11:22

The Clarets make the long journey to  the Amex Stadium to play the Premier League's new boys Brighton on Saturday , kick off 3pm. The Seagulls  currently lie 13th in the EPL table with 17 points from 17 matches. 


Just like Burnley last season, the south coast side 's first and foremost objective this season is Premier League survival.


Chris Hughton did a wonderful job getting Brighton promoted after the disappointment of losing out in the play offs the year before.


After a better than expected start to the season things were looking promising for Chris Hughton's men,  but questions are now  being asked of his team as results are more difficult to find. Currently a 6 match winless run and defeats in their each of their last  3 games are making the Brighton fans edgy.


However, with only  1 defeat in their  last 7 home league games Burnley's opponents on Saturday will make it difficult for Sean Dyche's men as they try hard to  halt their slide towards the relegation zone. The Brighton team will feel that if they can get their noses in front they can hold on for a win. The Clarets though are in a rich vein of form  and should be up to the task and at the very least come from the south coast with one point.


Sean Dyche hit the national headlines this week after Burnley's Tuesday night win over Stoke City inserted the Clarets into a Champions League place. One radio station I was listening to even went as far as calling Sean Dyche's east Lancashire town team "Proudsville". Dyche quickly latched onto the comment and called himself, "The proudest man in Proudsville!"


It was no surprise after the following night's results that Burnley dropped a couple of places but still go into the weekend's game in a top 6 position, with only goal difference preventing the Clarets winning a Champions League spot.


While  Spurs got their expected win over Brighton, Liverpool and Arsenal could only draw against lowly West Bromwich Albion  and West Ham respectively.


This season's Clarets' injury curse  continued against Stoke when defender Stephen Ward had to leave the field with a knee injury in the first half . New  signing  Charlie Taylor  took his opportunity well and went on to make an extremely promising debut.


Taylor should now make his first Burnley Premier League start on Saturday and is likely come up against the dangerous Anthony Knockheart. The Brighton wide man has so far struggled to  raise his game with nearly half the season completed, after terrorising Championship  defences last season. 

He remains potentially a match winner for Brighton,  with his ability to win penalties and deliver balls into the penalty box similar to the way Leicester's Mahrez consistently produces for the Foxes.

Another Brighton player  for Steven Defour and Jack Cork to watch closely is the German born ex-Bundesliga player Pascal Grob, who has grabbed 3 goals and has 5 assists to his name so far this season in a Brighton team that is otherwise struggling to create chances.

Further news on the Clarets injury front is good with first choice defenders Ben Mee and Matthew Lowton close to regaining full match fitness.

Replacements Kevin Long and Phil Bardsley having deputised brilliantly to play their part  in helping  the Clarers to an incredible 6 wins in the last 8 Premier League games.

 A big selection decision now awaits Sean Dyche and it really is a case of stick or twist selection wise for the Burnley gaffer.

Tuesday night's match winner Ashley Barnes left Brighton for Burnley in 2014, after 4 years on the south coast with the Seagulls.

Barnes missed almost the entire Championship winning season with a devastating cruciate ligament injury and his Stoke thunderbolt was his 13th PL goal for Burnley. The goal tied him with Sam Vokes as Burnley's leading PL scorer in history.

An interesting fact to finish on is that both fellow strikers Sam Vokes and Chris Wood have  had loan spells at Brighton during Barnes's time there.

All three strikers will no doubt will be looking to score the goal that  helps the Clarets come away the three points that will push Burnley back into the top four. Such is the stuff of dreams for Burnley fans who will no doubt be as vociferous as usual tomorrow.

This match preview was written by  uber Burnley fan Michael Donnelly alias "The Donz" who contributes regularly for Clarets Mad. (TEC).

Source: DSG