McNEIL: I CAUGHT THE RIGHT TRAIN
A full English the perfect recipe for Dwight to put Clarets on track
RISING star Dwight McNeil revealed how Gareth Southgate played his part in a massive three points for Burnley.
The England boss gave McNeil a real shot in the arm when he called him in from the Under-20s to train with Harry Kane and Co last week.
The 19-year-old made one and scored one to sink Wolves and really give Sean Dyche’s men a relegation booster. It was McNeil’s second-minute free-kick which helped give Clarets the perfect start – Chris Wood pounced and his angled shot struck the post before going in off Conor Coady. Dyche was just about to sub the youngster with 13 minutes to go when he lashed in a second to seal victory. It’s been quite a year for the teenager already – he only made his first Premier League start on December 30 and now he’s strutting his stuff with England superstars.
McNeil said: “That’s a massive three points. It’s a big win and now we have six big games coming up and need to get the results to stay up.”
Coming on the back of four successive defeats, this was a huge win against a Wolves side who have a tendency to trip up against struggling clubs. And that will worry manager Nuno Espirito Santo (below).
But what a week it’s been for McNeil, who will wake up this morning wondering if it’s some kind of April Fool’s Day prank.
Speaking of his England experience, McNeil said: “We were having breakfast. Our manager Paul Simpson came over and said I would be training with the seniors.
“I wasn’t nervous. You just have to take it like you’re training with the lads and that is what I did.
“I was up against Kyle Walker and it was good to learn from him and the other players. Gareth told me to enjoy it and to express myself and it was a real confidence booster when he said I did well.”
Burnley look to have too much to go down, but they are leaving it late.
Cardiff are the next visitors to Turf Moor and that looks likely to be a pivotal game in the race to avoid what is almost certainly the one remaining relegation spot.