Burnley’s Joe Worrall is a player who already knows what it takes to get out of the Championship.

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It was only three years ago Worrall was a part of a Nottingham Forest side that soared out of relegation strife to seal promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.

This time round, however, Worrall knows Burnley aren’t the underdogs and are happy to embrace the pressure that comes with such lofty expectations.

“It was quite strange at Forest, because we were bottom after seven games and a bit frustrated,” he said.

“We had a decent squad but we were going through managers every seven or eight months and we just didn't really have any stability. Not until the manager came in and suddenly we found a spark.

“At Burnley it's been completely different. At Forest we were always trying to play catch up and trying to get above the dotted line of the playoffs, or maybe nick an automatic.

“Whereas at Burnley, it's more like right: ‘we are playing really well, we're winning the majority of games, we've only lost two and we need to be really cemented and pushing and pushing up the table into those automatic spots’. So it’s a completely different mindset to what it was at Forest.

BURNLEY, ENGLAND - JANUARY 27: Joe Worrall of Burnley arrives at the stadium prior to the Sky Bet Championship match between Burnley FC and Leeds United FC at Turf Moor on January 27, 2025 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

placeholder image — BURNLEY, ENGLAND - JANUARY 27: Joe Worrall of Burnley arrives at the stadium prior to the Sky Bet Championship match between Burnley FC and Leeds United FC at Turf Moor on January 27, 2025 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

“We were always the underdogs at Forest, whereas at Burnley we're certainly not the underdogs. We're definitely the front runners and a team that should be feared in the league.”

With eight games to go, the Clarets currently sit third in the table but just two points adrift of the top two.

“We've got a lot of games left, a lot of games left. Sorry for the cliché answer,” Worrall added.

“You know how quickly things can change, whether that be form of teams, refereeing decisions, injuries, suspensions, anything can happen.

“We're on a good run at the minute, we're in and around it. We've not picked up as many points as we wanted to at this stage. We've had a few draws where we're frustrated and kicking ourselves a bit.

“We could have nicked a few, Preston being the highlight of that a few weeks ago. But also we've had draws where James Trafford's saving two penalties with a couple of minutes to go, so it ebbs and flows.”