Clarets regrouping ready to take on Terriers

Though the Clarets dropped out of the Championship’s automatic promotion places on the final matchday of 2013, Sean Dyche’s side earned a 12th clean sheet of the term in all competitions against a resurgent outfit yet to lose in the league under new boss Uwe Rosler.

“We were disappointed with the result at Middlesbrough and to bounce back at Wigan, it’s not an easy place to come but we’ve done well,” said the 23-year-old.

“I thought it was a great defensive performance.

“I thought we started brightly and had a few opportunities then Chris McCann had a header cleared off the line by myself.

“That’s my job, if it (corner) goes over my head then I just retreat back onto the post. It just fell to me and I cleared it.

“It’s not an easy place to come and I think it’s a great point. It’s a fair result and the clean sheet is the most important thing.

“Defensively we’re really happy with a point.”

Focus now switches to New Year’s Day where the Clarets will be looking to avenge their defeat to Huddersfield Town at the John Smith’s Stadium at the end of November. The fixture will also see the return of former striker Martin Paterson who joined the Terriers in the summer.

“We want to get one back over on them from when we lost at their place,” he said. “We’re doing very well on our own patch and we haven’t lost there for a long time. We’ll recharge now and regroup and get ready for that game.

“Pato tries winding me up by nipping me and standing on my toes but that’s Pato for you. He’s coming to our place on Wednesday so I hope he gets a good reception because of what he’s done for the club. Pato deserves a good reception for all the goals he scored for the club.

“I speak to him two or three times a week; I’ve got a good relationship with him, his wife and his family. I went away with them in the summer and we’ll always be close but once we step on that pitch he’ll be the enemy. Hopefully we’ll do well on Wednesday.”

The Clarets are unbeaten at Turf Moor in nine months, when Hull City won 1-0 last term. And Trippier is determined to work hard and keep that run going to maintain their place among the division’s elite.

“It’s a great achievement for us. The pre-season we had was really hard and we dug in together. That’s what we do during games.

“We have the sports science with Mark Howard and the physios so we’re used to it. The preparation they give us is first class so we make sure our fitness levels are high. That’s what we do - we work hard for 90 minutes.

“We all believe in ourselves and if we stay in and around the top then who knows what can happen. We’ve taken 2013 as a positive and we’re still up there after 23 games. We just want to get as many points on the board as we can. We’ve developed every month. We’ve been phenomenal. We’ve only got a small squad but it’s a powerful one.”