Brighton defender Dan Burn is adamant his struggling side can avoid Premier League relegation despite a continuation of their dismal start to 2020.
The lowly Seagulls sit a single point above the top-flight drop zone following Saturday’s 1-0 derby defeat to bitter rivals Crystal Palace.
Albion dominated possession against Palace and registered 24 attempts at goal but remain without a victory this calendar year.
Centre-back Burn insists Graham Potter’s side remain upbeat and are not yet hitting the panic button as they seek solutions to an alarming run of form.
“Not at all. It’s still really positive,” Burn told Brighton’s website when asked if the players are concerned.
“We haven’t won in eight (league) games but you wouldn’t be able to tell in there (the dressing room).
“We’re a positive group and for some reason we always struggle at the start of the year.
“We’re an experienced team and we’ve been in this situation before, so I’m backing us to get out of it.”
Brighton have won just two of their last 17 top-flight fixtures to plummet into trouble.
After failing to capitalise on a glut of chances, they were punished by a counter-attacking goal from Palace forward Jordan Ayew with 20 minutes remaining.
Burn believes Albion’s league performances have not been sufficiently rewarded but accepts it is time to focus purely on results going into the business end of the season.
“At the end of the season that (points) is going to be the be all and end all,” said the 27-year-old.
“I’ve said all season, the performances we have put in we should be higher up the table but the reality is we’re not.
“It’s now time we’ve got to start picking up the points.”
Ghana international Ayew calmly dispatched his seventh goal of the season following neat play from Christian Benteke to help Palace take a significant step towards safety.
The 28-year-old, who has played a key role in the 12th-placed Eagles picking up points this term, was keen to credit fellow forward Benteke for the match-winning moment.
“I think Christian did everything! Christian did a fantastic job. Christian saw me and gave me the ball and I just tried to put it in,” Ayew told Palace’s website.
“I took it well and the keeper tried to get the ball. The most important thing is we have the three points and we keep on going.
“We have a target to win every game we play in and to try and finish as high as possible.”
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