NathanCollins
BURNLEY defender Nathan Collins admits he learned a lot from the mauling by Chelsea last weekend and hopes to be able to put that to use in a match of much greater significance on Saturday. The 20-year-old was making only his second start in three months as cover for injured captain Ben Mee when the Clarets conceded four times in the first 24 minutes of the second half. Collins is set to deputise for Mee again at fellow relegation rivals Brentford and he expects a reaction from him and his team-mates.
Nathan Collins said: “I learnt a lot. We went over the game and I looked at clips. It’s not nice, but that’s what I need. I have to learn from my mistakes more than the things that I do well. Looking back on it, it’s only going to help me. The dressing room was really annoyed but we have come back in this week and brushed it aside. We know how big this game on Saturday is so we don’t want to dwell on anything, and we’re moving onto bigger things now.”
Burnley could move out of the bottom three for the first time since the end of August and also close the gap to Brentford, who start the day 15th, to three points with a win on Saturday. Although they have at least one match in hand over most of their rivals with a dozen fixtures remaining Collins knows they have to start putting a run of positive results together.
Nathan Collins added: “We know the challenge upon us, and we know what we have to do. Every game in the Premier League is a must-win, especially at this stage. Saturday is a must-win game, and we all know that. We have the mentality that we can go anywhere and nick a result, and that’s a good mentality to have.”
The fact Burnley have been in this situation several times before and having always escaped is being seen as an advantage. Collins believes they have the character to come good when it matters.
Nathan Collins said: “All of the lads are such a tightknit group. We’ll back each other till the end. That’s something that is unbelievable to have, especially considering the stage and place that we’re at. Not a lot of teams have that, so if we can continue with it, then I think that we have a bigger chance.”
