BROWNHILL SETS HIS SIGHTS ON MORE GOALS

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Midfielder talks tough test against Preston North End

2024-10-04T13:01:24.126Z

BROWNHILL SETS HIS SIGHTS ON MORE GOALS

Midfielder talks tough test against Preston North End

2024-10-04T13:01:24.126Z

Midfielder talks tough test against Preston North End

Clarets captain Josh Brownhill has enjoyed a positive start to the season, netting four times, with one of the goals coming in Tuesday night's 1-0 win over Plymouth Argyle.

With Saturday's lunchtime kick-off fast approaching, the midfielder looks ahead to what he says will be a tough game against his former club where he made his debut 11 years ago.

“It’s been very enjoyable [the season]. We’ve got ourselves in a good position, second in the table. A good few wins under our belt. New team, new manager, so it’s a really good start.

“Personally, to chip in with a few goals is always good but it’s always the points that are more valuable.”

Brownhill's best season goals tally wise has been seven, he's already on four, what's the aim this season?

“I think I start panicking when I get to about 6 or 7! I want to improve with more goals, I know it’s very easy to say that but for me, the time I was in the Championship season a couple of years ago I was getting close to double figures and it just didn’t happen. So, this time round I’m hoping to improve on that for sure. I’ve started the way I wanted to start, hopefully over the next few months I chip in with a few more goals and get closer to the double figures.”

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The Clarets are in a positive position in the table but have won their last few games by a narrow margin. Does that make it even more important to be chipping in with goals?

“Yeah, it does but we can’t be winning 4 or 5 nil every week. If we did that it would be some incredible season. Each game is different, teams are sitting off us and being harder to break down. We’ve found that difficult in recent times but we’re still scoring, it’s not as if we’re going through a goal draught and not scoring. The most important thing is getting that win, if we win every game 1-0 until the end of the season, I’d be pretty happy. We’d like to put more goals in, I think we’ve got the quality in the dressing room. After the first few games you could see that. It’s time to start kicking on and putting two or three past people.”

It's another Lancashire derby for the Clarets on Saturday against a side that the 28-year-old knows very well, having come through the youth team and made his debut at Preston North End.

“Yes, it’s scary to say it’s coming up to 11 years ago! I’m forever grateful for Preston and to Simon Grayson for giving me my debut. If they didn’t at that time, would I be where I am today who knows? I always say I think I earned the right to make my debut at that point but then for Grayson to show faith in me, to play me for so many games after that for Preston, I really appreciate that.

“Coming through in the youth team was very good, I enjoyed my time there. It’s a shame it ended the way it did with me moving on. But that’s football, it happens. It’ll be nice to play against them this weekend though.”

Brownhill has also played under manager Paul Heckingbottom and he has positive things to say about the Preston man.

“I’ve kept an eye on how he’s done there, and he’s done very well so far. Obviously, a big result for them the other night.

“I worked with Hecky at Barnsley for a few months when Lee Johnson was there, and he went to Bristol City. Then Hecky was in charge, he’s a really good man, a very humble person with some very good ideas. I only worked with him for two months, but you could see he had the eye to being a manager, and he’s managed some really big clubs and done very well. I think it’s a great home for him at Preston, the fans will definitely love him and I’m sure he’ll have a lot of success there.”

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With a lot of new faces in the Burnley changing room, has he been informing the new lads of the history of the Lancashire derbies?

“This weekend a few of the lads will hear it’s a bit of a derby. Some of them might not understand why because they thought Blackburn was, and we tell them it’s a local derby, there’s a lot riding on it, the fans are so passionate about these games around our area. To be the pride of these games, the pride of Lancashire. We want to knock everybody out of the park and show them we’re the best team around this area. We let them know that for sure, it’s definitely not going to be easy.

“I think it is important to have people that are from around this area, that have been around here for a while, in the dressing room. Because sometimes if you take too much of that out, you sort of lose the connection to what it means to everybody here at the football club, the fans and everybody. I always think it’s very important to have new players in of course, you need to have new players in to bring in that buzz, but you also need players that have been here for a while who understand everything about the club.”

In addition to his impact in the changing room, Brownhill has made a big impact in the local community too - something which he says is important to him.

“I always say to have that connection with the fans and the community is massive. Their support is massive and everybody around here just cares about Burnley Football Club. I felt that when I first came here, wherever you go, you walk through the town and people are wearing Burnley tops, talking about Burnley. The fans that come outside the training ground, outside the games, you just know how much it means to them. You go and do your community bits, whether it’s the hospitals, the schools, it’s just Burnley mad.”