Sheffield Wednesday man says pressure is on Burnley as Owls look to entertain at Turf Moor
Free hits don’t really exist when a football side are sat three points from the play-off positions with 13 matches remaining, but a trip to Burnley at current is probably as close as they come.
A great deal has been said about the Clarets’ remarkable defensive record in recent months - they are unbeaten at home all season and haven’t conceded a goal at Turf Moor since mid-December. So it’s all set up for Wednesday to buck the odds once again, so says Josh Windass. The Owls are among the highest scorers in the Championship this season.
“It's an unbelievable defensive record, isn't it?” Windass said. “I don't think I've seen anything like that in a long time, maybe Mourinho at Chelsea when they barely conceded any goals? Every time I check the results it's either 0-0 or 1-0, it's crazy how well they're doing. It's testament to their manager, goalkeeper and defenders and how well organised they clearly are.
“It's crazy that you can go into a Championship game and people are asking if you're going to be able to score! But that's how well they're defending. We are a team that does score goals so if anyone can go out there and score it could be us.
“I don't know too much about their attacking output. I don't think they've scored as much as they'd like to which is probably why they're not topping the league. We're a team that is fourth highest scorers in the league so we're looking to go there and score some goals.”
Windass is one of the Wednesday players that know all about the pressures of an automatic promotion race heading into the back end of a campaign having experienced it in back-to-back years in League One. Burnley’s defensive set-up has taken them to a record of just two defeats this season but have drawn 14 times. With Leeds United and Sheffield United showing little sign of letting up their pace and with a five-point gap between the Blades and the Clarets, Windass believes Friday night is a game the home side must win.
“It's not a free hit, but if they want to get in the top two they have to win on Friday, for sure,” he said. “They're coming up against a team that scores goals, we concede a few as well like! Maybe it'll be an entertaining game for once, hopefully!
“When you get into the last 10 or 15 games of any season and you're up there, fans start getting a little bit on edge because you're close to the line or whatever. It's crazy how well Burnley have done, the cub size it is, it's obviously not a massive club so to have the success they've had in recent years is great, being in the Premier League for so many years and having the success they've had with the new manager. But I don't think play-offs is their aim, they want to get top two, so they're going to have to start winning these games. Hopefully that doesn't start on Friday night.”