Zian Flemming discusses Burnley’s promotion aims, Scott Parker, goal target and Portsmouth test

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Any method will do in Burnley’s quest to return to the Premier League according to their top goalscorer Zian Flemming.
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The in-form striker appeared on talkSPORT on Thursday to discuss Burnley’s season so far, what it’s like working under manager Scott Parker and his own progress.

Ahead of Saturday’s trip to Portsmouth, the Clarets currently sit outside the top two by just a point – and now have 17 games remaining to rectify that.

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When asked if automatic promotion was Burnley’s minimum requirement this season, Flemming responded: “It's definitely our goal, but minimum requirement? I haven't thought about it in that way to be honest.

“As I said, it's our goal to get automatic promotion straight away. But let's say if something happens that we miss out on the top two, but we win the play-offs. I don't think anyone at the club would then be angry or disappointed.

“If the outcome is the Premier League, then I think we're all happy.”

Like Flemming, Parker has only been at Turf Moor since last summer and is still settling in to his new surroundings in East Lancashire.

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BLACKBURN, ENGLAND - JANUARY 04: Zian Flemming of Burnley celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Blackburn Rovers FC and Burnley FC at Ewood Park on January 04, 2025 in Blackburn, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)BLACKBURN, ENGLAND - JANUARY 04: Zian Flemming of Burnley celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Blackburn Rovers FC and Burnley FC at Ewood Park on January 04, 2025 in Blackburn, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
BLACKBURN, ENGLAND - JANUARY 04: Zian Flemming of Burnley celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Blackburn Rovers FC and Burnley FC at Ewood Park on January 04, 2025 in Blackburn, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

The 26-year-old only has positive things to say about the club’s head coach, who has overseen just two defeats from their 29 league games.

“He obviously brought me into Burnley. Maybe without him, I wouldn't have even been at Burnley. So that's to start with,” Flemming added.

“He manages to structure the whole team so well, which makes it easier for every individual out there because you've got so much support around you from your other players.

“There’s so much understanding and detail and demand from each other and from the manager. It feels like we're a really nice team to be part of and a nice team to play.”

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While Flemming has yet to score at Turf Moor this term, he’s enjoying an impressive streak in front of goal on the road, netting five times in his last four games. The summer signing from Millwall also has eight goals in all competitions.

Addressing his current form, the Dutchman remarked: “I think right now I can show my quality sometimes a little bit more. Obviously, it's also nice to play at the top of the table because normally you're the dominant side.

“In terms of the numbers, my first year at Millwall I scored 15 goals and then the second one I scored seven goals. So it's not the case that because I'm approaching the same amount of goals that I had last year that I'm already satisfied, because I've set a higher marker before that. So hopefully there’s still a lot of goals to go.

“This may sound really boring, but for the calmness in my head…I've got eight goals in total now, six in the Championship and two in the FA Cup, but that means I need to get to nine ASAP. Hopefully this weekend.

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“As soon as I've got nine, then we go for 10. A little bit more step-by-step. Because otherwise it could also hold you back a little bit. Because if I now say I want to score 20 goals, that means I'm not on schedule now, basically, so I might be disappointed with my performances.”

Flemming was speaking ahead of the first of back-to-back away trips to the South Coast, with Parker’s men due to take on lowly Portsmouth before returning for an FA Cup tie against Southampton next week.

Despite John Mousinho’s men sitting just two points above the dropzone, Flemming expects a tricky test at Fratton Park.

“It's the beauty of the Championship,” he said.

“I've never played at Portsmouth away, this will be my first time. But I've heard good things about it, about the atmosphere and stuff. It's nice.

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“In terms of unpredictability, I think maybe a good example was last week when we went to Plymouth and we beat them 5-0 and then three days later, they have to go away to Sunderland and they draw 2-2.

“Literally every game can be so hard. It doesn't matter how low or high the team is in the table, because even the teams down there sometimes give you such a tough task to get a win.”

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