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Burnley defeated Sheffield United at Turf Moor on this Monday evening to secure promotion to the Premier League, and Josh Brownhill was at the heart of the action in all the best ways.
Going into the game, Burnley had a five-point advantage over the Blades, and knew that a win would be enough to end Chris Wilder’s hopes of catching up with the top two.
A frenetic first-half saw Burnley take the lead just before the half-hour mark, with Josh Brownhill applying a cool finish as the ball bounced around in the Blades box.
Tom Cannon pulled one back for United, but just before the break, Brownhill stepped up to take the decisive penalty, and his 16th goal of the season was enough to seal all three points.
Brownhill was the top performer in our Burnley vs Sheffield United player ratings, and rightly so. Now, he gets to celebrate promotion with his teammates, and he had plenty to say on that matter.
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What Josh Brownhill said at full-time after Burnley vs Sheffield United
Speaking to Sky Sports immediately after the full-time whistle, Burnley skipper Josh Brownhill offered his first thoughts regarding the Clarets sealing promotion, and insisted he doesn’t care what people think of the way his team play football.
He said: “Honestly, I’m speechless. All the hard work this season. We had been written off and we’ve been called boring… but we’ve bored our way to the Premier League.
“It is incredible. It takes a whole team, it takes everybody. I can’t believe it. All the hard work, we are back in the Premier League.
“To go ahead, we were buzzing. To go level, you could panic but the composure, I am so delighted. A lot of lads will not sleep! I am so buzzing for the lads who haven’t played Premier League football. I am over the moon.”
Burnley have broken all kinds of records this season, including being incredibly hard to beat with a ridiculous number of clean sheets, and an unbeaten record stretching back to November.
The Clarets have also not lost at home all season, one of just two teams in the whole 92-team football ladder to hold that impressive record (along with Birmingham City).
Suffice to say, they will not care an ounce that they’ve been called boring, all that matters is they’re going back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
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Josh Brownhill has been incredible for Burnley, but he could be leaving
He may be the club captain and Burnley’s star performer this season, but Brownhill is out of contract in a couple of months and we understand he is very likely to move on.
Apparently, the likes of Everton, Fulham, Wolves, West Ham, and Monaco are keen on Brownhill, with a free transfer for the 29-year-old very much an option now.
Whether this promotion with Burnley can change things and lead to a new contract remains to be seen. But, if Burnley do lose him, they will be losing their talisman and their key driving force, and it will make Scott Parker’s task next season far more difficult.
With the gulf between the Premier League and Championship growing all the time, Burnley will have to replace Brownhill as their absolute top priority, or relegation will surely follow.