THERE’S NO WELCOME MATT HERE

STEVE MILLAR MATT LOWTON has no regard for star names – in his book, the bigger they are the harder they fall.

Back in 2012 the full-back’s hard but fair challenge as an Aston Villa defender on Wayne Rooney forced the legendary striker to miss the next England game.

Lowton, 27, can still remember the rollicking he got from his shocked dad, Dave.

Forward his career on a further four years and Lowton’s philosophy on the game has not changed one bit so the likes of Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez and Co will not get an easy ride at The Emirates today.

The right-back is demanding an “in yer face” performance from Burnley to finally find their first away win of a season where Sean Dyche’s men have picked up just one point on their travels.

He wants a repeat of the determined display at White Hart Lane last month where Tottenham won but Burnley clearly showed the bottle for battle.

Lowton said: “The result wasn’t what we wanted but we showed a lot more grit and determination, getting into people’s faces. It was important we start putting markers down and hopefully results will come.

“Like at home, the best we play is when we are in people’s faces. We make it hard for the opposition. We know a lot of the teams have high-profile players who like to pass the ball.

“So it’s important that we don’t let them do that. You pinch yourselves sometimes when you are playing against some of the best players in the world. I remember a few years ago when I was at Villa and I tackled Rooney.

“I put him out of the England game in the week. My dad wasn’t happy. It wasn’t a foul on Rooney – I think he caught his toe – but I still got a rollicking from my dad.

“But whoever they are, the name just has to go out of the window at the start of the game.”

Lowton knows, too, that controlled aggression is high on the list of Dyche’s demands with Joey Barton adding that extra bit of spice as well. Team meetings have never been livelier.

He added: “Joey’s a good fit here. Him and the manager have got the same work ethic. The same drive. They are very confident guys who want to help other people.

“They have got a winning mentality and it works very well. The bunch of lads we have got now, everyone wants the same goal. And Joey’s experience will help us through to the end of the

season.”