A statistical look at the Burnley record that has JJ Watt fearing a comeback

Burnley’s run of 12 consecutive Championship clean sheets has brought them within sight of a host of English football records.

Here, the PA news agency looks at their remarkable defensive record this season.

Shut-out sequence

– Scott Parker’s side have not conceded a league goal since Christmas. Their next Championship fixture is not until March 4, meaning they will have gone through the entirety of January and February without conceding.

– Goalkeeper and NFL fan James Trafford cheekily messaged the club’s minority owner, former star defensive end JJ Watt, in December asking him to come out of retirement next season to help his favourite team the Cincinnati Bengals’ struggling pass rush. Watt replied: “You don’t allow a goal the rest of the season and it’s a deal”, and has since posted tweets about “heading to the gym” and looking at property in Cincinnati.

– That exchange followed a 2-0 Boxing Day win over Sheffield United – Trafford has since added another 11 clean sheets and has now gone 1,172 minutes including stoppage time without conceding a goal. The record in English football is 14 games by Manchester United’s Edwin van der Sar between November 2008 and February 2009.

– Burnley even added another clean sheet as they won 1-0 away to Premier League Southampton in the FA Cup fourth round. Reading’s Lewis Wing, in the third round against Trafford’s understudy Vaclav Hladky, is the only player to score against them since Watford’s Kwadwo Baah on December 21.

Stunning season

– The Clarets have conceded only nine goals in 34 Championship games this season, an average of 0.26 per game. That would smash the English record of 0.38, set by Liverpool in 1978-79 with 16 goals conceded in 42 games.

– Should they keep up their ratio for the remainder of the season Burnley would finish with just 12 goals conceded in 46 games, beating the English record of 15 by Preston in 1888-89 and Chelsea in 2004-05 – who played 22 and 38 games respectively.

– Their record is in contrast to last season, when Vincent Kompany’s side shipped 78 goals in 38 games – 28 with Trafford in goal – on their way to relegation from the Premier League.

– Burnley’s 25 clean sheets in the league this season bring them within one of the second-tier record of 26, set by Sunderland in 1995-96. The record in English football is Port Vale’s 30 in the third tier in 1953-54.

Shot-shy

– At the other end, despite beating Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 on Friday, Burnley have still scored only 43 goals.

– That makes for an average of just 1.52 total goals in each of Burnley’s 34 league games. In the top four English divisions, only Gillingham’s 1995-96 season has ever produced a lower average (1.50).

– With an average of 1.26 goals scored per game, Burnley are on track for just 58 over the full season. Should they be promoted with that total, it would be the lowest since Huddersfield scored 56 in their 46 games in 2016-17 before coming through the play-offs. For teams automatically promoted, the lowest figure in the last decade is Watford’s 63 in 2020-21.

– Midfielder Josh Brownhill is Burnley’s leading league goalscorer with 10. Zian Flemming, Jaidon Anthony, Luca Koleosho and Lyle Foster, the only forwards to play 20 or more games, have seven, three, two and one respectively.