BURNLEY midfielder Joey Barton insists the Clarets are targeting the title this season.

The 33-year-old's deflected free-kick gave Burnley victory over Lancashire rivals Preston on Friday night, and with Middlesbrough dropping points at home to Ipswich the Clarets are now top of the Championship on goal difference with two games to go.

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Victories over Queens Park Rangers and Charlton will land Sean Dyche's side promotion, and should also secure them the title, a trophy Barton is keen to get hold of.

"The aim is to win the league, it's not to get promoted, it's to win the title," he said.

Burnley could have won by more against North End, and Barton added: "It was a local derby, a tough place to come. Preston have been a credit to League One the way they have acquitted themselves this year and they beat us at Turf Moor.

"It was important we put a marker down, it was on Sky, a Friday night game with our rivals watching. I think 1-0 flatters them, we played some great football at times and you're thinking if you don't kill a team off they've got a chance and last 10 minutes we had to hang in there, but that's what we do, it's a fantastic group and we were cheered on by a wall of claret and blue, it was magnificent."

Barton's 30-yard free-kick took a deflection off Alan Browne in the North End wall, but the former QPR man reckons he wouldn't have taken it had Matty Taylor been involved.

"I think it was on target, whether it was going in or not I don't know," he said.

"I actually thought it was a bit far out, if Matty Taylor had been on the pitch I wouldn't have taken it, it was more his range. There was a bit of skid on the pitch so I just wanted to hit the target."

The Friday night opener to the Championship weekend gave Burnley the chance to pile the pressure back on Middlesbrough and Brighton, and while the Seagulls were winners at Charlton, it was two points dropped for Aitor Karanka's side in a 0-0 draw with Ipswich.

"We've had to sit back and watch the other two put points on the board," said Barton.

"We went in the Birmingham game knowing Middlesbrough had got a late goal at Bolton and the onus was on us to get something and we came through that.

"At this stage if you drop points it's critical. We took care of business on Friday and if we take care of business in our next two games there's nothing anyone can do about it."