Burnley striker Chris Wood out to continue run of goals at Southampton

But while the New Zealand international has taken his goal tally to six for the season with strikes against Arsenal and Everton, the 29-year-old accepts it has been a tough campaign.

Wood hit double figures in his first three seasons at Turf Moor after a club record £15m switch from Leeds, netting 11 in 2017/18, before claming 13 the following season, and 14 last term.

The goals have not been as free-flowing this season, for Wood or the team as a whole, but after three in his last six games, a similar ratio in the last eight games would see him reach double figures again.

Wood said to talkSPORT: “It’s always going to be tough at Burnley we have to fight and scrap for everything we get, but it’s been tough for a lot of teams.

“We know we have quality and always end well, which is nice, and it’s nice that we’ve had some good games over the last period to pick up some points.

“Personally it’s been tough, it’s been tough for all our strikers. I can only speak for myself, but it’s just been one of those seasons.

“The goals haven’t been falling as they normally do, but that’s life as a striker.

“Sometimes they fall, sometimes they don’t – it’s about keeping ready for the next game and the next chance.”

Burnley have upped their chance creation of late, and remain one of few clubs who deploy two out and out strikers.

Wood hailed the work ethic of the central midfield two – be it Ashley Westwood, Josh Brownhill or Jack Cork: “It’s not often a team plays 4-4-2 in this day and age, but we show that you can and you can get results.

“We’re lucky enough to have two absolute machines in midfield that run 12/13k a game, and without that, you aren’t going to be able to play 4-4-2 in today’s game.

“They take up a bit of our running when we switch off, as some strikers do!”

Burnley are currently 15th – where they finished two seasons ago, sandwiched by superb campaigns finishing seventh and 10th, and Wood added: “When we have a tough run, or a tough campaign, the next season we go and finish seventh or 10th or something.

“It’s weird how it works for us, we just need to keep progressing as a club, building, strengthening, player-wise, and just see where it takes us. We want to finish in and around 10th spot every season, sometimes you can do that, sometimes you can’t, you just have to fight for it.”