Burnley boss Mike Jackson has fired a warning to relegation rivals Leeds ahead of Sunday's season decider - insisting that his players are "comfortable with being uncomfortable" after they escaped the Premier League drop zone.
The Clarets pinched a vital point in a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa to leapfrog Leeds before the final round of domestic fixtures are played out this weekend. Ashley Barnes had fired the Lancashire outfit into the lead on the stroke of half-time, but Emiliano Buendia restored parity shortly after the break. Burnley finished the game with 10 men after Matthew Lowton was given his marching orders and were indebted to Nick Pope, who produced a string of stunning saves.
Although safety is far from assured, a point means Burnley will head into the weekend with their fate in their own hands. Now sat just above Leeds due to their vastly superior goal difference, Jackson's side know that a win against Newcastle would secure their top-flight survival - and they may not even have to pick up another point if Leeds lose to Brentford.
While Leeds have fared reasonably well since returning to the Premier League, Burnley have become accustomed to battling for survival. And Jackson - who has driven the Clarets to the cusp of survival after being handed the reins on an interim basis last month - believes his squad's experience of scrapping for survival could give them an edge over their relegation rivals.
Speaking to Sky Sports after Thursday night's match, Jackson said: "It’s a good point. This is a tough place to come. We knew we’d be under the hammer at times. It was an unbelievable performance with regards work-rate, grafting, discipline, desire. It wasn’t pretty but those are things you need at this stage of the season.
"You always want that, we’re at home and it’s in our hands. There’s 90 minutes of work to achieve what we set out to do. We’ll rest up and make sure we’re ready Sunday.
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"The players are used to going to these places where they have to dig. They’ve lived in these moments before. They’re comfortable with being uncomfortable. They showed that tonight. I didn’t think it was going to be a slick game."
But even though survival is now in sight, Jackson was adamant that there was still work for his side to do ahead of Sunday's showdown with Newcastle.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Jackson added: "It’s not mission accomplished. The least we wanted was a point. We’re a little disappointed not to get the three. Everything I’ve seen tonight is what this group does. They’ve had to dig in, they’ve had to work. We’ll need it again on Sunday."
