CHRIS Wood believes Burnley’s band of strikers are inspiring each other to new heights this season as they battle for a spot in Sean Dyche’s side.

Wood made a goalscoring return to the starting line-up at Bournemouth last week and although he had a couple of chances at Leicester on Saturday he was eventually withdrawn for Sam Vokes, while Ashley Barnes also come off the bench.

All three have impressed when given a chance this season, with Vokes in the goals at the start of the campaign and Barnes grasping his chance after being handed a start against Swansea.

New Zealand international Wood, who has transferred his goalscoring from the Championship to the Premier League following his £15million move from Leeds, believes that high standard in front of goal is a result of the fierce competition for places at Turf Moor.

And with injured pair Nahki Wells and Jonathan Walters waiting in the wings to make an impact of their own, that battle for starting spot could get tougher over the festive period.

“That’s exactly what it does because we’ve got some great strikers,” Wood said of the competition for places driving the frontmen on. “We’ve still got Nahki and Jon in the fold as well. We’re a great attack force and we’re showing that week in, week out. It’s nice to see.

“We’re a squad and we’re all about the three points and we’re all about the team. It doesn’t matter who’s playing you’ve just got to work hard.

“I’m sure Ashley (Barnes) is disappointed that he had to sit out recently but we’ll keep going as a unit because we know over the course of the season it will chop and change.”

Wood’s four Premier League goals have helped the Clarets climb to seventh in the table and Burnley have shown huge improvements on the road with Saturday’s defeat at the King Power Stadium just their second away from Turf Moor.

And Wood insists that progress is no surprise.

“When I came in I knew that the boys had been working really hard to build and progress from what they’d done last season and the seasons before when they’d been in the Premier League,” he added.

“It’s what we need to take the club up and as a team move on and look forward to progressing as a unit.”

“We take each game as it comes. The home form has been good and we’ve been working hard. As long as we work hard, match what they do and put our own stamp on the game then we’ll come out alright.”

That one game at a time mantra means thoughts of competing for a place in Europe or a top half finish won’t come until much later in the season.

“Not until April or May,” Wood said. “We’ll just keep focussing on the next match, it’s a busy period over Christmas so we’ve got to make sure that we’re ready.”