Burnley defender Connor Roberts admitted he was running out of answers after his side’s 4-1 defeat against Lincoln City at Sincil Bank.
The Clarets took the lead through Andréas Hountondji, but Ben House equalised before half-time, and the Imps dominated the second period. Two goals from Mikkel Ladefoged and another from Dom Jefferies secured Lincoln’s first home Championship victory since 1961, while Burnley’s supporters made their frustration clear throughout the afternoon.
Roberts, who replaced Kyle Walker at half-time, was brutally honest when asked to assess another disappointing performance from a side struggling towards the bottom of the Championship.
“I don’t really know what you want me, as the player put out here, to say, to be honest.
“We know it’s not good enough. We know the fans deserve a million times more, and so all we have to do is just get on with it now and see if we can do better in the next game, really.”
The result left Burnley in the relegation zone and proved to be Nicky Hayen’s final match in charge, with the Belgian dismissed shortly afterwards. Roberts acknowledged that the standards which once made Burnley such a formidable Championship side had slipped considerably.
“No, obviously not. Sooner rather than later, we’re going to have to start not maybe winning games, but picking up results.
“I think in the situation we’re in, we come here, we go 1-0 up, a draw. If we’re standing here with a draw, we’re obviously still a little bit disappointed because Burnley coming to grounds like this against teams like this, we used to be able to grind out and to win these types of games.
“But like I say, the situation we’re in, the point would have been good, and the second half was clearly not good enough from every single player.”
The travelling supporters directed angry chants towards their own players and the club’s hierarchy, with many leaving Sincil Bank long before the final whistle. Roberts, who joined Burnley in 2021 and helped them win the Championship title two years later, insisted the fans were entitled to voice their dissatisfaction.
“Yeah, listen, we’ll always go to them. They sing what they sing. They say what they say. They’re entitled to say every word that they do.
“I will not say that we don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve it. And like you say, they pay their money. They travel. They want their team to show everything that we don’t, and at the moment, we’re not doing that.
“I’ll always respect them for sticking and still coming and still trying to support us. Obviously, when times are good, it’s a lot easier to do that.
“So the ones that are still here, still come, still support Burnley Football Club when things are the way they are, it’s a credit to them, to themselves, and in absolutely no part a credit to any of us.”
Roberts’ comments reflected the mood around a Burnley side now facing another managerial change and seemingly a possible battle to avoid successive relegations.
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