CLARETS match winner Danny Ings said his side’s win at the Britannia Stadium sends out a message to the rest of the Premier League that they aren’t there to simply make up the numbers.

A second straight victory moved Burnley off the bottom of the Premier League just weeks after they were being written off as top flight no-hopers.

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The 22-year-old scored twice inside two minutes to give the Clarets the perfect start, and he heaped praise on the defence and midfield for the way they stood up to a Stoke siege on their goal in the second half.

Jonathan Walters had pulled a goal back on 32 minutes, but despite amassing 14 corners and 25 shots the Potters couldn’t find a way through to level the game.

“It makes a statement to everybody – we’re not going to get turned over,” warned Ings.

“We’ve been playing extremely well in every game; I know results haven’t been coming very often but at the moment we’re building momentum and getting those points on the board.

“We ignore all the outside stuff – it’s about us and what’s in the dressing room. We’re improving every single week and you can see that in our performances.

“Even if we don’t play the prettiest football we’re grinding teams down and frustrating them. The crowd got on their backs today and we got the three points.

“It’s the hardest league in the world coming up from the Championship but the lads are coping with it extremely well, our mentality is good, our form is good, our confidence is good and they’re all the ingredients you need to go forward.”

After finding the back of the net twice inside the first 13 minutes Ings spent the rest of the afternoon leading a heroic defensive effort from the front.

In the second half the ball was rarely beyond the halfway line, and the England Under 21 striker was quick to pay tribute to his teammates for the victory.

“It’s fantastic but I can’t take all the plaudits today – I thought the defence and midfield were fantastic,” he said.

“We started the game very well, I got my two goals, but from then on we were defending for most of the game.

“We had that mentality that we didn’t want to concede. Obviously we conceded one but our mentality after that was great.”

Ings’ double means he has now got five goals in his last five starts for club and country, and re-ignited the debate over whether he was ready for a call up to Roy Hodgson’s senior Three Lions squad.

“I’m only young so there’s a long way to go for that sort of step but what I can do is take the confidence from the players around me and improve every day as a footballer to do as well as I can,” he said when asked about his England credentials.

“Obviously scoring goals for England Under 21s is the step down from that but I’ve got to make sure that I maintain my form for my club.

“It’s understandable that those players get picked because they are the best of the best and they’re playing for the best teams. They’re scoring goals every weekend at the top of the league. It’s important that I keep developing as a football player.”