Junior is coming of age, says Burnley boss (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Junior is coming of age, says Burnley boss

4:14pm Tuesday 18th September 2012 in Football By Suzanne Geldard, Burnley FC reporter

EDDIE Howe praised Junior Stanislas for his ‘best performance in a Burnley shirt’ on Saturday, but believes there is more to come from the winger.

The former West Ham wide man grabbed his second goal of the season to complete a 5-2 win over Peterborough United.

Stanislas waited a year before getting off the mark for the Clarets after signing from Upton Park last August.

It was the longest the 22-year-old had gone without scoring since turning professional in 2008.

But boss Howe feels Stanislas is starting to show his potential for the Clarets not just as a goal threat, but also through his creativity for team-mates.

“He was positive, showed his pace, he ran at people, asked questions, got crosses in and scored a goal,” he said of Stanislas’ performance against Peterborough.

“The thing with Junior is that we’ve seen that now for over a year.

“In training he’s been excellent at times, he hasn’t quite produced that on a consistent basis when he’s played.

“Hopefully this is the start now.

“He’s been excellent this season so far and hopefully this is the start of a more consistent run for him.”

And Howe hopes goals are going to be more of a feature of Stanislas’ game this season.

“Goals for any winger are important. I think they were the big thing missing from him last year,” he said.

“He created a number of goals for us and had a good assist record, but if we can get eight to 10 goals from either side (wing) it’s certainly going to help our cause.

“It’s great to see him in goalscoring positions.

“I think he’s found himself in better areas this year which has enabled him to score two good goals.

“They’ve not been necessarily spectacular goals from his point of view but from my point of view it won’t bother me at all, it means he’s in the right position.”

Howe believes adding a ruthless streak to the former England Under 21 international’s game could make all the difference, saying: “Technically and athletically I’d say he’s got the lot.

“With consistency and finding that little ounce more aggression he can really stamp his authority on games.

“He can do it, there’s no doubt he can do it.

“He’s still a young player and he’s still finding his feet at this level in terms of a consistent run of games.

“I felt throughout the season his game has steadily improved, but I think there’s more to come from him.”

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