Westwood Still Chasing New Targets

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Midfielder wants to join '300' club as elite player with the Clarets

2021-03-22T11:25:10.094Z

Westwood Still Chasing New Targets

Midfielder wants to join '300' club as elite player with the Clarets

2021-03-22T11:25:10.094Z

Midfielder wants to join '300' club as elite player with the Clarets

Ashley Westwood is aiming for another major milestone by helping to maintain the Clarets’ status as a top-flight club.

Westwood fittingly marked his 250th Premier League appearance with an outstanding performance as Burnley beat Everton in their last game before the international break.

The 2-1 victory at Goodison Park was the midfielder’s 126th Premier League game in a Burnley shirt after previously playing 124 times in the top tier for Aston Villa.

And the 30-year-old hopes there are at least 50 more to follow to allow him to join current Clarets’ team-mate Phil Bardsley in the prestigious ‘300 club’.

“Coming from Crewe I never thought I’d play in the Premier League, so get 250 games is remarkable,” said Westwood, whose total career appearances stand at 448.

Westwood Still Chasing New Targets - Image 1

“Hopefully, I’ve got a couple more years in it. I want to reach 300.

“I don’t think there will be too many (here) in that category. Bardo’s in it and I want to chase him down.

“That’s the biggest aim. To get to 300 Premier League games would be some career and I’d retire a very happy man.

“It’s not going to be easy because I think it would have to be two more years in the Prem and playing a lot of games in each year, which isn’t easy.

“I’m getting on but physically it’s the best I’ve felt and hopefully there are many more games to come.”

Of the current Clarets, Bardsley tops the Premier League appearance charts on 303 games, with Jack Cork the only other ahead of Westwood with 273 appearances from his spells with Burnley, Southampton and Swansea City.

Erik Pieters and Jay Rodriguez have both passed the 200-mark, while Clarets’ captain Ben Mee has played the most Premier League games for Burnley with 188, with Westwood fourth on that list – one ahead of both Cork and Matt Lowton.

Hopefully, there are plenty more to come for them all, with the Clarets 15th in the Premier League table after sitting out last weekend’s reduced fixture programme – seven points clear of the bottom three and 18th-placed Fulham, who have now played a game more.

Sean Dyche’s men return to action at Southampton – who are one place ahead only on goals scored – on Easter Sunday.

And Westwood is determined to keep moving forwards on the back of a run of just five league defeats in 14 games since the turn of the year – all against sides currently in the top six.

“We looked at the Everton game. Fulham were picking up points and it was getting close," added the Premier League ever-present.

“But to go there and put in a performance like that – especially going into this break – gives you a bit of relief.

“Seven points is a big gap with nine games to go and we want to push on.

“We’ve got some massive fixtures coming and we want to break that 40-point barrier and we’ll keep pushing as a squad.

“We’ve only been beaten by the top six in the last load of games. It’s good and we’re going into the last run of games with a lot of confidence.

“We want to break that 40-mark and we’re on our way.”