Town can be in Prem for years

relegation to Division Two in his final year at the club.

So what advice would the 42-year-old give to today’s crop to avoid a similar fate to the one suffered by the Class of 2001.

“They just have to roll up their sleeves and know that on their day they are a very very good side – they’ve beaten Manchester United, they’ve beaten Bournemouth,” Thornley said.

“A lot of the players have been good enough to get the side into the Premier League in the first place.

“And with the sprinkling of what they have brought in then they have a good chance.

“The home form has been brilliant and their next six or seven games are against teams in the bottom half of the table.

“They’ve already proven they can compete against sides in the higher echelons of the Premier League – now they need to do it against sides in and around them.”

That run of games starts with a clash away to bottom-of-the-table West Bromwich Albion on Saturday – an encounter Thornley has labelled a ‘six pointer’.

He said: “West Brom are not in a false position, they are down there because they are not good enough.

“These are the games you can start to talk about six-pointers and close to becoming a must-win or certainly a draw.

“With the run-in against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City these next few games are incredibly crucial.

“You’re looking at maybe another 12 points (three wins and a couple of draws) for safety.

“It’s so incredibly tight, though, and everyone always seems to be just one defeat away from being back down there – that is how tight it is.”