IT'S KYLEY IRREGULAR

...but Parker insists serial winner Walker can cope with 'cold, hard reality' of relegation dogfight

- BY STEVE JUDGE

SCOTT PARKER spoke about his young squad facing an unfamiliar situation, before adding his six-time Premier League winner to the list of those dealing with the mental test of a relegation scrap for the first time.

The Burnley boss said: “Even Kyle Walker, the most experienced guy in this dressing room, one of the most decorated players in world football, has never experienced this.

“He is used to winning football matches and now he’s experiencing something totally different.

“While he is not used to being in a team that are fighting relegation, which we are, and that’s how it is going to be for the next 20 games, I think his experience and humility as a human being helps that situation and the conversations we have’

This is, as Parker put it, “the cold, hard reality” of being a promoted team. One that enjoyed a record-breaking 33-match unbeaten streak, but now he finds itself with a very different scenario to contend with.