Burnley have joined Wolves in officially being relegated from the Premier League following their defeat by Manchester City on Wednesday night.
Scott Parker’s side have been in the relegation zone for almost all of the season, having mustered up just four wins from 34 games this season in their first campaign back in the top flight.
With 34 games played and just 20 points accumulated, they are 13 points adrift of West Ham in the final spot of survival, with just 12 left to play for.
They join bottom club Wolves in confirming their place in next season’s Championship, with Rob Edwards’ men officially relegated on Monday night.
Despite their awful campaign, Burnley officials have kept the faith with Scott Parker, who took them up from the Championship last season and may well look to do the same next campaign.
Parker has overseen a season that seems set to end with Burnley having the worst defensive record in the league. They have conceded at least six goals more than any other side – a stark contrast to their record last season.
Burnley have been relegated from the Premier League following their defeat by Man City
The Clarets have earned just four victories in the Premier League this season
In last season’s Championship, a James Trafford-inspired Clarets let in just 16 goals in 46 games – the best record in English league history.
They lost the likes of Trafford and CJ Egan-Riley in the summer, however, and struggled to replace them, with former Treble winner Kyle Walker unable to prevent the demotion.
The Clarets have not won a game since February 11, when they beat Crystal Palace 3-2. That run includes an FA Cup defeat by League One Mansfield Town.
Burnley could still yet finish below Wolves, who they will play on the final day of the season.
Parker stressed that he could not fault his side’s efforts despite their relegation back to the Championship, as he admitted the Clarets would have had to ‘overachieve’ to stay in the top flight.
‘We’ve had an understanding that the inevitable was getting closer,’ Parker told Sky Sports. ‘That curtain has come down on us now, the confirmation has been there. We’ve failed and come a little bit short today.
‘I can’t be critical of this team. This team have given us everything every single day. You can fault us in certain moments where we lacked a quality about us – and we haven’t got enough points in this division.
Scott Parker insisted he could not be critical of his team’s efforts despite relegation back to the Championship
‘I think tonight’s performance represents us a little bit of what we are. I’m immensely proud of this team. I may get ridiculed for saying that in the world we live in. I’m being honest, but that’s the way it is.
‘These players have come in with a humongous challenge and we’ve fallen a little bit short. We needed to overachieve this year, overachieve and overachieve, every single game, and we haven’t managed to do that.
‘Their eyes, their ears, they have given me everything, that means a lot. The young group will learn from these experiences.
‘One thing I’ve learned in life is you need to have the ability to bounce back, be brave enough to stand in the arena, to stand on the touchline. This group constantly stands. I’m proud of them.
‘We have to learn from our mistakes as a football club this year and move from there really.
‘Regarding myself, like always, we’ve given everything, sacrificed a lot of things and we’ve fallen short. I hold the burden for that and the responsibility for that. We’ll keep moving and keep going.’
