IT’S VINTAGE INGS AGAIN FOR CLARETS
BURNLEY bounced back into the automatic promotion places but boss Sean Dyche has bad news for their rivals – the Clarets have plenty more to give.
Burnley’s unbeaten home record in the Championship appeared under threat from the unlikeliest of sources as Millwall – who had not tasted victory in their last 11 road trips – took the lead through forward Martyn Woolford.
But it proved to be a false dawn and Burnley were level moments later as Ings grabbed his first of the game.
Ings should have doubled his and Burnley’s tally on 43 minutes after he was fouled in the box by Ndajim Abdou, but he saw his penalty saved by Stephen Bywater.
However Burnely did go into the break in front thanks to Dean Marney’s strike on the stroke of half-time, and Ings did grab his second to put the game to bed just after the hour.
With QPR not playing until Monday Burnley now sit second, but Dyche is urging even more improvement from his troops.
“We put some real good quality into the final third,” he said.
“We have got a strike force to be reckoned with but the front six, if you like, were excellent in their play.
“There was no disappointment when they scored and we kept playing and picked up where we were before the goal. It was a very defensive set-up from them.
“Ings has real quality, and the pass for the second goal as well was great.
“Ings is a player who can score all types of goals.
“There have been some fantastic markers this season. But I believe in development for all, myself included.
“We are relentless in our attitude in training and as long as that relentless mentality is there as a collective then we can get the results.”
Despite heading to Turf Moor having won just one of their last ten games, Millwall started the match the brighter and after Woolford gave the Lions a deserved lead as he superbly volleyed past Tom Heaton to open the scoring.
But Millwall don’t have the worst goal difference in the league for no reason and just two minutes later the hosts were level as Ings turned in the box and curled past Bywater.
Ings was then denied from the penalty spot by Bywater but Millwall couldn’t hold on until half-time as Marney unleashed from 25 yards.
Burnley came out brighter in the second half and after Sam Vokes had been denied by Bywater Ings had his 24th of the season, brilliantly controlling Kieran Trippier’s long ball before finding the net.
Ryan Fredericks’ cross-cumshot clipped the bar for Millwall but if anyone was to score again it looked likely to be Burnley as substitute Ashley Barnes, Michael Kightly and Ings all went close.
Junior Stanislas also fired in a free-kick at the death that narrowly missed, leaving Lions boss Ian Holloway to admit that the better team had won.
“That was very disappointing to be honest,” Holloway said. “The important things need to start happening for us.
“We play to get ourselves in front and we did that but what we are not doing is holding on and it’s disappointing.
“We had a game plan to stop Vokes and Ings which worked at the start for us.
“We need to get breaks quick- ly because that dressing room is low. We can learn from the infrastructure that Sean’s team had.
“We can learn from their structure, Sean is a modest man but he will be buzzing inside.
“It is tiny tiny margins we are talking about like two to three yards.”