Andre Gray admits the rest of the Premier League need to take Burnley more seriously after narrow defeat
The Watford striker, who left Turf Moor after two successful seasons last summer, made a substitute appearance as his former club moved level on points with Tottenham
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Your support makes all the difference.Andre Gray does not need convincing about Burnley’s Premier League credentials and the Watford forward believes it is only a matter of time before the rest of the Premier League begin to start treating Sean Dyche’s club seriously.
The Watford striker, who left Turf Moor after two successful seasons last summer, made a substitute appearance as his former club moved level on points with Tottenham and, for 24 hours at least, Arsenal.
Struggling Stoke visit Burnley on Tuesday and the prospect of the Clarets being installed in the top six by the turn of the year is very real.
“Look, they’ve started fantastically,” said Gray. “It’s 16 games into the season, not four or five where they’ve had a great run. They’ve been consistent.
“People are not going to like coming here and people are not going to like playing against them and that’s shown already.
“If they keep going, keep digging in and keep doing that they’ve been doing for the past three seasons since I’ve been here, then why not?
“People write them off every year. They wrote them off when I first signed in the Championship then we went and won the league; then last year we were favourites to go down until that final whistle blew on the last game of the season.
“That’s just how it is. They’ll all know in the dressing room what they’re capable of. I think everyone will start to believe sooner or later.”
Gray received what he described as a “very mixed” reception when he came on as a second half substitute, many Burnley fans mindful of the striker’s departure for more lucrative pastures.
But the 26-year-old retains strong ties with the Lancashire club, including regular text conversations with Dyche. Little wonder, therefore, that Gray believes his former employers are currently receiving nowhere near enough credit for their start to the campaign.
“It’s 16 games in now and they’re seventh today,” he said. “Look at it, the table doesn’t lie.
“But Burnley will never get spoken about until the end of the season and, if they’re still there then, maybe they will.
“It’s a shame that will happen but its better for the team if they keep going under the radar and keep putting in the performances they have this season because the sky’s the limit.”
The latest, low-scoring Turf Moor victory was settled by Scott Arfield, at the end of a flowing attack just before half-time.
But the turning point had come six minutes earlier when Watford left-back Marvin Zeegelaar was shown a straight red card for a two-footed challenge on Steven Defour.
Burnley manager Marco Silva was adamant that Lee Probert made the wrong call over the dismissal although, perhaps predictably, Dyche had an entirely different analysis of the incident.
And, in the contest between two of the English game’s most highly-rated young managerial prospects, Dyche stole an edge here, not least thanks to his handling of little-used defender Kevin Long.
Dyche resisted the temptation to buy a replacement when £30 million Michael Keane left for Everton in the summer, trusting in the 27-year-old journeyman’s ability as a potential back-up. After Ben Mee suffered an injury in the week, Long proved his manager’s faith was well-founded.
Long said: “It was nice to be back out there. I don’t know what situation Ben is in but hopefully, if I’m called on again, I do well.
“All I can do is work hard on the training pitch. I want to be playing but I never complain, the two lads ahead of me are doing really well so I can’t have any complaints there.
“When I get my chance all I can do is play well and hopefully that’s enough.”
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