McNeil Still Feels The Force Of Absent Fans

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Winger welcomes distanced backing as Clarets look to keep delivering the goods

2020-11-27T13:41:48.679Z

McNeil Still Feels The Force Of Absent Fans

Winger welcomes distanced backing as Clarets look to keep delivering the goods

2020-11-27T13:41:48.679Z

Winger welcomes distanced backing as Clarets look to keep delivering the goods

Dwight McNeil was delighted to reward the Clarets’ absent fans and hopes there’s more to cheer in the coming weeks.

Burnley’s supporters have been forced to watch from a distance due to Covid restrictions and there’s no imminent let-up in sight with tier 3 status meaning the Clarets must continue to play behind closed doors at Turf Moor for the time being.

But those able to view on television saw Sean Dyche’s men beat Crystal Palace 1-0 on Monday night to move out of the Premier League’s bottom three and McNeil knows how much a first win of the campaign meant for everyone.

“There was a bit of pressure there,” admitted the Clarets’ wingman.

“We all knew that three points was big for us all, for the club, and it was good to get it for the fans because I know they’ve been waiting for a win for a while.

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“We know how good the fans are and we know they’ll always have our backs.

“We have been in this position before and the fans have been with us to the end and we couldn’t thank them enough.

“We were never not that far away but we know how hard the Premier League is, how fine the margins are and how important every point is.

“All the lads were delighted to get the first win of the season and hopefully we can take that forward and get more points on the board for the club and the fans.

“We’ve got a lot of games coming up and important games where we can hopefully get more points on the board which we need.”

It will take a big effort to back up the win over Palace straight away as the Clarets head to Manchester City on Saturday.

City haven’t yet hit top gear but remain one of the top tier’s heavyweights with their spending power and recent record of winning trophies.

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But McNeil – who turned 21 last weekend – has taken everything in his stride so far since emerging onto the Premier League season as a regular almost two years ago.

And the England international is looking forward to another test against the best after being told by the Burnley boss Sean Dyche to keep smiling.

“He always just tells me to enjoy my football, which I am doing and will hopefully continue to do,” McNeil added.

“Going to City is a challenge I think everyone enjoys for seeing where you’re at and where you are compared with other players like they’ve got.

“We know they’re a top team but we’ve just to focus on ourselves and take what we do into the game.

“We know how hard it is, but like you’ve seen this season in the Premier League anything can happen."