Hotshot’s two good Fer Royals
DYCHE EYES CRACK AT THE CONTINENT
A FERNANDO FORESTIERI double helped Sheffield Wednesday ease past relegation-threatened Reading.
The forward scored either side of George Boyd’s effort to see off a Reading side who were reduced to 10 men in the 76th minute when Tyler Blackett was sent off.
Owls boss Jos Luhukay said: “The team played with a lot of passion and we are proud of this last period of five wins in seven games.”
Wednesday took the lead in the 35th minute when Forestieri drilled home a powerful half-volley.
And nine minutes after the break it was 2-0 as Adam Reach shimmied past two defenders and found Boyd, who could not miss.
It was all over in the 71st minute when Forestieri smashed his second past Royals keeper Vito Mannone.
Reading boss Paul Clement said: “I’m really disappointed with our defending. For the second and third goals, there were missed tackles and that’s not right.” Dec 2017: Burnley 1 Stoke 0 Apr 2017: Burnley 1 Stoke 0 Dec 2016: Stoke 2 Burnley 0 May 2015: Burnley 0 Stoke 0 Nov 2014: Stoke 1 Burnley 2
Stoke – 46 wins Burnley – 39 wins Draws – 24 SEAN DYCHE is ready to pack his bags for a European trip – but he is not thinking about his summer holidays.
Burnley will end a remarkable season with Europa League qualification if they finish in seventh place and Southampton fail to win the FA Cup.
And the thought of leading the Clarets into games on the continent has the boss bursting with pride.
Dyche (right) has worked wonders and he would love nothing more than to see his club playing European football for the first time in more than half a century.
He said: “There’s no reluctance in embracing Europe. Absolutely not. There’s no reluctance. You know how everyone talks about the FA Cup, not me personally, but people say it has been done down.
“It’s because the Premier League has got so powerful for clubs financially.
“We love the FA Cup but the fact is the club and the chairman go, ‘Unless we win it, it doesn’t move the club forward’.
“So the Europa League is a badge of honour in the sense it would be an amazing honour to take on but it doesn’t allow you to move the club forward.”
Today’s away game at Stoke is the first of four games Burnley have left and eighth-placed Leicester are eight points behind them. Some in East Lancashire, though, are looking up the table rather than down it.
Arsenal sit just two points ahead of them and the dream of gatecrashing the top six is still within reach.
Dyche said: “Five and a half years ago we were saying, ‘Burnley FC in Europe? Eh?’
“We were 16th in the Championship and just got beat 4-0 by Cardiff.
“Burnley FC in Europe? Any form of European competition is a real thing for the club to put on the table. But the club is not going to radically change because of the Europa League.” STEVE MILLAR