3:30pm Thursday 18th March 2010
By Suzanne Geldard
RUSS Wilcox says Burnley will not press the panic button, insisting they’ve got what it takes to stay in the Premier League.
The Clarets’ bid to beat the drop suffered a body blow with only one point earned from back-to-back home games against Stoke and Wolves last week.
It took their recent poor run to one win in 11 matches under boss Brian Laws, while only two Premier League wins have been recorded since Hallowe’en.
But ahead of Saturday’s trip to Wigan, where Burnley will aim to end their winless away run, assistant boss Wilcox insists the club will keep calm and stick together in their battle to beat the drop in the last eight games.
“At this level you can lose five or six on the bounce in the blink of an eye because the quality's that good,” said the 45-year-old.
“There are three leagues in the Premier League. There’s the elite pushing for the top four, there are the ones pushing for mid-table knowing they’re not going to get a European spot, and there are about six or seven teams now fighting it out to avoid the three relegation spots, and we’re one of them.
“The good thing is we’re nowhere near out of reach and it can quickly change. You can jump out and you might dive back in.
“It’s just about where you finish on May 9 that counts.”
And former Northampton, Preston and Scunthorpe defender, who has been Laws’ right-hand man for the last 11 years, admitted he takes encouragement from the players’ attitude.
“I’ve found the players very responsive, very down to earth, very together,” said Wilcox.
“Straight away there were good signs there that bode well to give us that chance to retain our Premier League status, which would be unbelievable for everyone associated with the club.
“It’s probably as big an achievement as actually getting there.
“The Championship is structured so there are a lot of teams that can push for that top six finish like Burnley did last year.
“To stay here is probably harder than getting here in a way.”
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