Leading scorer Gray wants to make unbeaten run count

Sean Dyche’s side haven’t been on the wrong end of a result in the Championship in 14 games - since the Boxing Day defeat to Hull City - and they’ve claimed maximum points in their last six in succession.

Now the club’s record signing, who was plying his trade in the Conference North with the likes of AFC Telford United and Hinckley United six years ago, wants to secure the haul required to confirm promotion to the top flight.

“We’re obviously on a good run but it’s gone very quick and a lot has changed between the start of it to now,” he said. “But it means nothing if we don’t get over the line.

“We’re very grounded with it and we know that the job isn’t over. There’s still a long way to go.

“Team spirit has been excellent since I’ve been here. Obviously it’s a bit higher now because we’re top of the league but we know there’s still a job to be done because we haven’t been promoted yet.

“We’ve got a lot of tough teams coming up with teams fighting for the play-offs and against relegation.

“To finish in the automatic places won’t come easy and our 14-game unbeaten run means absolutely nothing yet.”

The £6m man, who has netted 22 league goals this term, is hopeful of avoiding a repeat of last season when Brentford’s hopes of hitting the top flight were thwarted by Middlesbrough in the play-offs.

The Clarets go in to this afternoon’s fixture against Gray’s hometown team Wolves with a six-point advantage over third place Brighton and the striker is eager to keep it that way.

Asked how it would feel to win the title, he said: “It’s massive, especially with the manager and the club showing faith in me and spending that kind of money on me.

“To repay them by getting them back to the Premier League would be massive. I want to give them something back; the fans as well.

“We’re a very together club and the fans have stuck with us through the times that we’ve lost. They’re still with us now and the support that they’ve given us has been fantastic. They’ve turned out in their numbers.

“We need to keep this going so they’ll stay with us from now until the end of the season and we can get over the line.”

The division’s most potent marksman has already bettered his goal tally from last campaign but admits that he’s always challenging himself to achieve more.

“I’m always going to be chasing something, that’s how I live my life,” he said. “I’m always going to have goals. I’ll take it one step at a time, get this club into the Premier League and try and kick on.

“It’s gone better (than I expected) because I’ve bettered my record from last season.

“It’s gone well in that respect but I don’t want to finish in the play-offs. I want to go up automatically and unless we do that it’ll just be a similar season to last year.

“All that matters is winning and it doesn’t matter how we do it. It doesn’t matter if me or Vokesy score until the end of the season, as long as we go up. That really is all that matters.

“If we do it early on, and there’s a few games left, that’ll be the time to try and rack up the goals.”