Howe: Burnley must go again after sucker punch defeat at Boro (From This Is Lancashire)

Howe: Burnley must go again after sucker punch defeat at Boro

9:51am Wednesday 22nd August 2012 in Sport By Suzanne Geldard, Burnley FC reporter

BURNLEY manager Eddie Howe insists ‘We’ll go again’ after two unstoppable second-half goals by Middlesbrough left him lost for words.

The Clarets took the lead through Charlie Austin at The Riverside, only for it to be cancelled out quickly by Nicky Bailey’s low, long-range strike before half-time.

But two rockets in the second half – from Adam Reach and Luke Williams – either side of a Junior Stanislas equaliser, meant Burnley left the north east with nothing.

“I don’t quite know what to say about those goals – especially the second one in my opinion because of the angle, it was a fantastic strike,” said Howe.

“From our perspective you’re always disappointed because you feel you can do things about it in the build-up.

“We worked really hard to get our lead, and I think the turning point was when we conceded just on half-time.

“If we could have gone in 1-0 up at half-time I think that would have been well deserved really because I thought we were excellent in the last 20 minutes of the first half especially.

“Then for whatever reason we ended up dropping very deep in the second half, which wasn’t really what we wanted to do but I felt we were put under pressure by their passing and movement, and it was difficult to contain them.

“Lee (Grant) hasn’t really had a lot to do tonight, they were three good strikes from outside the area.

“I don’t think he could have done anything about any of them, that’s how it goes.”

After the high of beating Bolton Wanderers at the weekend, Howe said he would now lift the players from the disappointment of a late defeat on Teesside ahead of Saturday’s trip to Huddersfield.

“We’ve got to look at the positives from the performance.

“It again goes to show the margins are so small. We’ve got nothing to fear in the division but it’s a difficult one to take for us because of the nature of the goals really. I think you feel a little bit helpless.

“But the players are all disappointed, which is a good sign, and we’ve got to go again.

“The games come so quick you can’t dwell on a victory and you certainly can’t dwell on a defeat.

“It’s now onto the next game and hopefully we’ll prepare well and get the result we want in that one.”