Midfielder accepts goal-scoring is not his forte

Midfielder Dean Marney is happy to play the part of Burnley's unsung hero by doing the dirty work in the middle of the park.
Dean MarneyDean Marney
Dean Marney

The 32-year-old, now the elder statesman of the squad, is famed for his combative nature at Turf Moor which ultimately detracts from his ability to score goals.

The former Spurs and Hull City man isn’t renowned for his finishing, his goals are few and far between, but they’re certainly special when they come.

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Marney, who scored a phenomenal pile-driver in a pre-season friendly against Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park in the summer of 2013, almost broke the net with a thunderous effort in a Championship fixture against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium four years ago.

Burnley players celebrate after Dean Marney scored the opening goalBurnley players celebrate after Dean Marney scored the opening goal
Burnley players celebrate after Dean Marney scored the opening goal

And the latest addition, his 10th competitive goal for the club, was another memorable strike as he beat Manchester City’s Claudio Bravo with a stunning volley from 25 yards out at the weekend.

“I’ve never been renowned for my goal-scoring, it’s not really my job, but it’s nice to chip in every now and again and I enjoyed it, but it would have been nice to get the three points,” he said.

“I just thought ‘why not?’. Sometimes they end up in row Z, more times than not actually, but it was nice to see it go in.

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“I just kept my head down and tried to make sure I hit the target, luckily it went in the bottom corner. I enjoyed it.

Burnley players celebrate after Dean Marney scored the opening goalBurnley players celebrate after Dean Marney scored the opening goal
Burnley players celebrate after Dean Marney scored the opening goal

“I’ve never thought of myself as a goal-scoring midfielder. It’s nice to chip in, to take the pressure off the strikers, but that’s not my job and that’s not what I’m in the team to do, I’m in the team to try and do the other side of the game.”

Marney was delighted with the performance levels against City but rued the goals conceded as Sergio Aguero was afforded two tap ins.

“We had a game plan, we wanted to try and turn them and make it uncomfortable,” he said. “I thought we did that.

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“We got the goal and we looked fairly comfortable. They’ve got quality players and they turned it up a gear.

“The goals were poor from our view really, they’ve not had to do much to get those goals, which is disappointing.

“We knew it was going to be tough. But when you look at the chances they created and the goals they got it’s disappointing.

“I think that’s the difference at this level. We did the same against Arsenal, we matched them for 94 minutes and you just have one lapse in concentration or a little mistake and you get punished.”

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Meanwhile, the midfielder has allayed any fears of a prolonged absence after pulling up innocuously with a hamstring strain in the first half and eventually limping off.

“It’s not too bad,” he confirmed. “I’ve had a bit of a nerve problem in the back of the hamstring and sometimes it gets to a point where you just can’t continue. I was gutted but against a team like that if you’re not 100 per cent you’re going to get found out.”