STEVE Cotterill insists there is no reason for Burnley to panic as they head into tonight's Turf Moor clash against Leeds on the back of three successive Championship defeats.

In a difficult November programme, the Clarets have lost to high-flying Cardiff, West Brom and Birmingham on the spin.

Clarets boss Cotterill reckons the timing of those defeats makes them seem more significant than if spread over a longer period of time.

And as Burnley bid to end their losing streak against their Yorkshire rivals, Cotterill believes there is no reason to feel too downhearted.

"It's just really tough on us," said Cotterill.

"If these three games that we have been beaten in - Cardiff, West Brom and Birmingham - had been spread out over six months, they might have been expected results.

"When it comes back-to-back though, all of a sudden it's panic stations because you have lost three times on the bounce.

"Not that we enjoy it or we think we deserved it but it's a fact and we'll deal with it, no problem."

The Clarets have been short of luck in their quest for points against the league's big-hitters, but Cotterill reckons his side will soon pick up results by continuing to work hard.

He added: "We've definitely come short of luck in a couple of games.

"But it will go our way. The harder we work, it will turn back round for us.

"Maybe earlier in the season when we got some luck, we didn't actually feel we were being lucky.

"We know we've had some tough games, but when you play against the top teams you do need that bit of luck.

"That's a fact and we can't, at this moment in time, quite beat the top teams.

"We didn't get carried away with the start because we knew it was just a start.

"But we've got some big games coming up which we still need to stay focused on and that's what we will do."

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