Scott Parker acknowledged Burnley’s struggles but remained optimistic after his side dropped points in the Championship’s automatic promotion race, losing ground on Leeds United and Sheffield United.
Entering the weekend in third place, just behind the top two, Burnley saw their hopes of closing the gap fade after a goalless draw at Portsmouth. Despite the setback, Parker remained positive, praising the result as a valuable point and recognizing Portsmouth as a “different animal” at home.
The draw leaves Burnley five points behind league leaders Leeds and three behind second-placed Sheffield United ahead of their upcoming match against Oxford United at Turf Moor.
Speaking after the match, Parker said, “It’s a tough place to play, as their recent results show. Middlesbrough lost here 2-1, they beat Stoke 3-1 and Coventry 4-1. They’re a different side at home, always putting you under pressure with their intensity, so we had to stand up to that.
“The key positive is our resilience, because this game could have gone a lot worse if we hadn’t shown that. On the other hand, we weren’t at our best and lacked a bit of something today.”
Parker continued, “Their style of play caused us problems, and it was hard to get control of the game. We struggled to win duels and didn’t manage to get our usual crispness. A lot of that was down to their pressure, so full credit to them. It wasn’t all about us; they put us under pressure and stopped us from getting on the ball.
“Ultimately, it’s a good point, and now we move on. We’ve got a big game on Tuesday against Oxford United, and we’ll look forward to that.”
‘Different animal’ – Scott Parker admission with spin as Burnley lose Leeds United and Sheffield United ground
