"EVERY GAME HAS TO BE TREATED LIKE A CUP FINAL" SAYS CULLEN

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Midfielder looks ahead to Brentford clash

2024-03-15T11:00:00.000Z

"EVERY GAME HAS TO BE TREATED LIKE A CUP FINAL" SAYS CULLEN

Midfielder looks ahead to Brentford clash

2024-03-15T11:00:00.000Z

Midfielder looks ahead to Brentford clash

Midfielder Josh Cullen is adamant that the Clarets are going to fight for every point there is to play for in the ten remaining games of the season.

Reflecting on the season, the 27-year-old believes that some of the team’s performances throughout the campaign so far have deserved more points. But says the dressing room is fired up and committed to getting positive results ahead of Brentford’s visit on Saturday.

Speaking of last weekend’s 2-2 draw at West Ham, Cullen said: “We have to look at it as a point gained. Obviously leading the game at half-time 2-0 you’re always disappointed when you can’t hang on for all three points.

“To come away from the game with a point, we know how hard it is in this league to get points, you have to work hard for everything. A tough place to go so to get the point we have to look at it as a point gained. But I think after the game there was a bit of disappointment that we couldn’t hang on for all three points.”

What did Cullen think changed in the second half?

“To be honest when we conceded the goal that we did 30, 45 seconds after the restart especially away from home, it gives the whole stadium a lift, the crowd a lift and then it does make that second half much harder than it could be.

“To concede a goal in that manner was very disappointing.”

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A highlight of the afternoon was David Fofana’s first half strike and Cullen was pleased for his teammate in what he thinks was a brilliant all-round showing from the striker.

“It was an amazing strike. We see that in training, we know that he’s got that type of ability and he’s got that in his locker. So, I’m delighted for him to score a goal like that, and I think his all-round performance was brilliant on Sunday. Worked really hard for the team, his hold up play and his link up play was brilliant as well so to get a goal like that was great for him.”

With the Hammers his boyhood club how did the midfielder find it going back as an opposition player?

“It was a strange feeling, obviously going back on the other side, going in the away dressing room rather than the home dressing room. Seeing some familiar faces was nice but when you’re in that match mode on gameday I try to block that out as much as I can before the game and focus on trying to get a result for Burnley.

“It wasn’t the result we wanted, especially how we started the game in the first half, but it was a point gained and now we move on again.”

Burnley currently find themselves second bottom of the table, but Cullen’s position is that there are still plenty of points to fight for.

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“We know that there’s a large gap between us and safety at the minute. But we also know that there’s still a lot of points still to play for and we have to keep fighting that’s all we can do. I think our performances over the past couple of weeks have probably, well, definitely, deserved more points than we’ve got.

“We know we have to keep working hard to improve in areas of the game that are costing us at the minute. But we’ll keep fighting and there’s still enough points to play for.”

At the time of writing the Bees sit 15th in the table, how important is Saturday’s game in the fight for survival?

“I’ve gone on record and said it before, the last game, the game before that, every game has to be treated like a cup final now, there’s ten games to go.

“Brentford at home, we have to go and win the game it’s as simple as that and we need to start putting points on the board quickly.”

Three spots from the bottom three, is Cullen surprised to see Thomas Frank’s team in the position they are in?

“I’m not so much surprised as I know how tough the league is, you have to fight for everything and there’s never a result given to you. What they’ve done since they’ve been promoted, we’ve seen it this season coming up as a newly promoted side trying to find your feet, compete and be successful at this level props to them for how well they’ve done over the past few years.”