Matt Lowton believes one result can turn Burnley’s season around as the search for a first Premier League victory of the campaign continues.
The Clarets host Brentford on Saturday stuck in the bottom three with only four points from their first nine league games of the season following last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Southampton, which left them three points adrift of Leeds in 17th place.
A 1-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Tottenham on Wednesday night means a 4-1 win over League Two Rochdale is their only victory inside 90 minutes this season
“It’s been frustrating,” Lowton said. “We’ve actually played quite well and the attitude has been spot on. We’ve just not performed in key moments and in this league you’re going to get punished.
“The results haven’t been there but we’ve been playing quite well. It’s about getting that first win on the board and Saturday is a good opportunity…
“We went ahead (at Southampton) and started really well, on the front foot, and were all over them. We managed to get ahead but for some reason found ourselves behind and then we showed great character.
“It’s just about working hard. We’ve been down this road before and one result can turn it all around. Hopefully we get that one soon.”
Throughout Burnley’s struggles this season Sean Dyche has preached the same message – a belief in what his side are doing, with no need for any radical changes.
Above all, there is no sense of panic even as the winless run nears double figures.
“I don’t think anything major has been going wrong,” Lowton said. “It’s just been key moments when we’ve not been quite as good as we should and we’ve conceded late goals.
“The one against Leeds (an 86th-minute Patrick Bamford goal in a 1-1 draw at Turf Moor) was a split second – we play well for the majority of the game but then concede a goal. It’s not a major change needed, it’s just making sure we’re on it…
“I’m not quite sure when we’d start panicking. I don’t think the manager is like that. It will come to a point where we need to get some results on the board, and the earlier we do that, hopefully we do not get to the point where panic sets in.”
Brentford will travel to Turf Moor on the back of Premier League defeats to Chelsea and Leicester, but Thomas Frank’s side sit 12th in the table after a superb start to the campaign following promotion last term.
“They are full of energy and still buzzing,” Lowton said of the Bees. “They had a good start and that momentum has been building, that confidence has been building. We know full well it’s going to be a difficult game against a hard-working side.”
Lowton was in the Turf Moor stands on Wednesday night as Lucas Moura’s second-half header sent Tottenham into the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup and added to Burnley’s sense of frustration.
As Lowton took a breather, summer signing Connor Roberts made his debut in the right-back position after injury disrupted his start to life with Burnley.
Lowton, 32, said he welcomes the competition for places.
“I thought he played very well,” he said of Roberts. “He looked very good on the ball and equally defensively. He’s got the weapon of a long throw and he looks very good. He’s come in and trained well, he looks like he’ll take to it brilliantly.
“When there’s competition for places you have to work hard to keep your place in the team, that’s just how it is.”
