Howe: Now let’s become consistent (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Howe: Now let’s become consistent

8:10am Monday 24th September 2012 in Sport By Chris Flanagan, Sports reporter

EDDIE Howe has urged his Burnley side to shake off the label of inconsistency after securing their first away win of the season at Derby on Saturday.

Two goals from Charlie Austin helped the Clarets to come from behind and claim a 2-1 victory.

But Burnley’s two other league wins this season have both been followed by defeats and Howe is eager to build on Saturday’s result, first in the Capital One Cup at Swindon tomorrow night and then against Millwall in the Championship at Turf Moor on Saturday.

“That’s the aim now, it has to be, we want back to back wins, we don’t want that label again of being good one week and poor the next,” said the Burnley boss, who saw his side collect 10 wins – one short of an all-time club record – on the road last term.

“It’s a difficult division to read in terms of results and we are one of those teams at the moment.

“We’re Jekyll and Hyde at the moment, and the test for us is to put together that winning run.

“But it’s great to get that away win after doing so well last year, and hopefully that can start us off again.”

Howe was pleased that his side managed to grind out a win with some defensive resilience on a day when they were not at their best.

And he admitted he had contemplated taking Austin off to protect the draw before the forward headed home an 89th-minute winner – completing a brace at Pride Park for a second successive season.

“We had a dilemma,” said the Burnley boss. “It was a difficult one with 10 minutes to go, we were under the cosh and with two strikers on the pitch, do you try and shore up the midfield?

“The one to come off would have been Charlie, and I’m delighted we kept him on the pitch and delighted for him, because he does work hard.

“That’s the beauty of Charlie, he’s in the right place at the right time.

“He didn’t have many sights of goal, but the two he had, he took very well. Charlie does seem to score against certain teams – I’d like him to score against everyone.

“But he does have his favourites.

“It’s probably the first time we’ve had an ugly win, it was certainly ugly from our perspective in terms of the second part of the second half we had our backs to the wall and were fighting for our lives.

“But we defended really well, which is something we haven’t done that well this season, and we popped up with a goal that was probably hard on Derby.

“But we’ll certainly take it given the luck we’ve had in recent times.”