Scott Parker says his Burnley players have no option but to dust themselves down and go again after losing what was a considered a must-win game against Brentford at the weekend.

Scott Parker on Burnley's dramatic defeat to Brentford and late VAR controversy

The Clarets headed into Saturday's encounter realistically knowing it was their last chance to launch a great escape.

Having come into the game off the back of four points from back-to-back games, Burnley could have reduced the gap to safety to five points a day before Nottingham Forest were in action.

But Parker’s side squandered that opportunity, going down to a 4-3 defeat in a game Parker himself admitted beforehand was “humongous”.

"It was a massive game for us,” he said after Saturday’s cruel late loss.

“We need to keep going like we have done all year. We've bounced back in certain moments.

"This is a blow for us. But the biggest thing for me, is just telling the group constantly about what you need to have success – and success may not come in the next two months. Success may not come in the next two weeks.

Scott Parker arrives at Turf Moor ahead of the Premier League fixture against Brentford. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard

“But to build teams, to build people, to build human beings, to be successful, you need to have some core values. This group have definitely got those core values.

"We've fallen short at times this year in quality. We've fallen short in terms of the level we've gone up against. But this team has got something that will be lasting for them.

"It will be lasting for them as husbands. It will be lasting for them as fathers. They've got something and for that, we need to keep building on it.”

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Speaking immediately after the game, Parker said his overriding emotion was one of sadness.

“We gave ourselves a mountain to climb,” he added.

“The first 30 minutes, we started the game alright for 10 minutes or 15 minutes. There's nothing in the game. But then they obviously score and after that, I thought we played soft during the first half.

"The threat from them is set plays, long throws. We played soft. I felt we played really soft and there had to be some harsh words at half-time.

"There also had to be a real balance because, obviously, walking in from half-time, as we all experienced and as you can all see, it wasn't nice and I could sense that with the group. I could sense that with the players, so we had to reboot.

“As I said to the group at the end, I've got a 10-year-old son who came here today into this stadium and two others, 19 and 20. I said the 10-year-old son will get in my car tonight and for all the games he's watched this team play this year, today will be the biggest learning for that boy ever.

“That learning will come from seeing a group in immense adversity, immense doubt, immense struggles, immense whatever it may have been, but a default position that was just like: ‘right, okay, we need to try and go here’.

"For that, that's why I'm immensely proud of this group, because anyone coming here today could see a group that was brilliant were brilliant.

"I'm just sad...that's my emotion now. My emotion is not disappointed. My emotion is not frustrated. My emotion for the group is just sad.”

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