ASHLEY Barnes believes Burnley's strength of character can help them continue their recent revival and pull further clear from the Premier League bottom three.

The Clarets were 3-1 winners at Brighton last time out, a win that moved them to 15th in the table, three points clear of the relegation zone.

Sean Dyche's side are unbeaten in seven top flight games and with only three points separating Crystal Palace in 13th and Southampton in 18th, Barnes knows it is important for Burnley to keep the momentum going.

"The lads were saying that we're joint 13th," said the striker who scored from the spot at the Amex Stadium.

"It's a huge three points but we need to keep chipping away and picking up points until the end of the season.

On the squad's character to turn their season around, the 29-year-old added: "It's massive. It goes through everyone in the squad and that's what we need. We're all team players and we'll all keep going and keep fighting."

Burnley are without a game this weekend with the FA Cup fifth round taking centre stage and the Clarets return to action on Saturday week when Spurs visit Turf Moor in the lunchtime kick off.

Dyche's side then visit Newcastle the following Tuesday and there will be plenty of twists and turns to come between now and May at the bottom of the table.

And Barnes, who has eight goals for the season, was delighted to go into the free weekend on the back of an important three points at Brighton.

"We heard before the game that Cardiff had won so we knew it was going to be a massive game that we needed to win," he added.

"The lads had seen it beforehand and informed it so we knew that we had to win. We put a performance in.

"It just made it an even bigger game and we knew we had to win, otherwise we'd have stayed in the bottom three.

"Heats kept us in the game with some fantastic saves, he was phenomenal. You could single out all the lads because they were amazing.

"It was a massive win and we needed it.

"We controlled it but gave a sloppy goal away to allow them back in to it. They had a little bit of a sniff but we held on for the three points."

Barnes made it three in three games with his penalty against the Seagulls, keeping spot kick duties after converting Burnley's first in 68 league games the weekend before against Southampton.

His strike partner Wood, who had scored the opening two goals, could have completed his hat-trick had he been given the opportunity and Barnes said: "I should have given it (the penalty) to Woody but I needed to finish it.

"It's a good return for me but the main thing is the three points and we got them. It's always nice to score."