Burnley manager Scott Parker said being top of the Championship means nothing to him at this stage of the season after they beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 at Hillsborough.
Goals either side of half-time from Jaidon Anthony and Josh Brownhill were enough to send the Clarets two points ahead of Sunderland, who play on Sunday.
And while Parker was impressed with his side’s display, he will not be getting carried away with their position in the table.
Parker said: “I’m really pleased overall. This is a difficult place to come and I thought we started the game very well.
“I’m pleased with the general play but taking the three points is massive for us. Going forward we looked a real threat and we had some real opportunities to put the game away.
“We were positionally very good in the final third and we executed our chances well. The players have been working really hard on that.
“We started slowly in the second half but we grew into it and I thought we took control after our second went in. We could have taken a few more of our chances and put the game to bed.
“As a coach I’m really happy with the clean sheet. The defensive side of things isn’t as fashionable but we want a foundation to build on and that starts with the back line.
“It’s a long, hard season. Being top of the table means nothing to me yet. There’s so many more games ahead of us.
“We have so many new players with lots of new identities and talents. We have a brand new team – only eight or nine weeks old and the lads have done incredibly well so far.”
Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl wants his side to be more clinical.
Rohl said: “We created a lot of opportunities against a very well-organised team. We’ve seen in previous games Burnley don’t need many chances to score goals.
“The first goal is a mistake from our side. We know this but I will always support my players and we have to move on quickly.
“Ike (Ugbo) had a big chance with the header. These small moments are the difference at the moment. This is why Burnley are top of the league and we are where we are.
“We sometimes make the wrong decision in the last moments of our attack. In the final third, we’ve got to find a team-mate and be more clinical in front of goal.
“It’s difficult to take today. The performance wasn’t bad and when the performance is right it hurts to lose.
“It’s been a busy schedule and we may look to change the team. We will go again against Swansea on Tuesday.”
Interim boss Stephen Frail expects Motherwell to appoint a new manager next week and admits their first job will be to lift the players’ confidence after a 3-0 mauling at home to Ross County.A double from Ronan Hale and Connor Randall’s last-minute strike secured an impressive victory for the Staggies at Fir Park.Defeat sees the Steelmen drop into the bottom half of the Premiership tab...
Mark Hughes heaped praise on goalkeeper Gabe Breeze after Carlisle picked up a vital point in the League Two relegation battle with a goalless draw against in-form Colchester at Brunton Park.Breeze made two excellent saves from Lyle Taylor as the Cumbrians ended a four-game losing run and the former Man City boss was astounded by the 21-year-old’s performance.He said: “The game had som...
Chesterfield boss Paul Cook launched a scathing attack on his play-off hopefuls after they surrendered an early lead to lose 3-1 at Sky Bet League Two table-toppers Walsall.The Spireites enjoyed a rapid start when Jamie Grimes’ eighth-minute header put them ahead against a wobbling Walsall side, who were winless in five matches with the chasing pack closing in.However, Bim Pepple and Dylan D...
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has allayed fears of an injury scare to top scorer Erling Haaland ahead of next week’s Champions League trip to Real Madrid.Haaland went down clutching his leg in the latter stages of the champions’ 4-0 Premier League thrashing of Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday and was immediately substituted.Losing the Norwegian would be a major blow to ...
Rotherham manager Steve Evans described Thomas Parsons’ performance as “atrocious” after the referee awarded a stoppage-time penalty from which Reading snatched a 2-1 victory in League One.Reading had led 1-0 at half-time through top scorer Harvey Knibbs but Sam Nombe levelled for Rotherham from a spot-kick in the 57th minute.With the game heading for a draw, Parsons adjudged Mil...
Michael Flynn believes his team can make a charge towards the League Two play-offs places after watching them come from 2-0 down to beat Barrow 3-2 at home.Matty Taylor scored twice before fellow substitute Ashley Hay hit the winner as the Robins continued their perfect home record in 2025.Cheltenham climbed to 13th in the table and sit eight points off seventh-placed Crewe with two games in hand....
Birmingham manager Chris Davies praised Jay Stansfield’s work ethic after he lit up St Andrew’s with the only goal of a 1-0 win to sink play-off chasing Charlton.Stansfield’s 23rd-minute strike stretched City’s lead to nine points ahead of second-placed Wycombe, with Blues boasting a game in hand.Victory was City’s 30th in all competitions as they extended their unbea...
Andoni Iraola refused to get carried away after Bournemouth fans were left dreaming of a potential Champions League adventure following a first league double over south-coast rivals Southampton.Travelling Cherries fans chanted of playing in European football’s premier competition next season after their side soared to fifth spot in the Premier League table thanks to a deserved 3-1 success at...
Norwich head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup praised his side for fighting back to draw 1-1 at Hull after he demanded “I want to see my football team back”.The Norwich boss had some tough words for his team as they trailed 1-0 at half-time to the relegation-threatened side, including for Kellen Fisher – but the player then delivered the assist for Josh Sargent’s equaliser.The Un...
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers says Jota has a chance of starting against Bayern Munich after scoring and impressing in a 3-0 victory over Dundee United.Jota earned the club’s man-of-the-match award after cutting in from the left and curling home from 18 yards to double the lead given to the hosts by another impressive finish from Callum McGregor.The Portuguese winger has now started two gam...
