Football League World
·11 April 2023
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·11 April 2023
Burnley midfielder Samuel Bastien has taken to Twitter to commend a great result for his team and the atmosphere at Turf Moor yesterday evening.
The home fans were in high spirits after seeing their team clinch promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking on Friday - a magnificent achievement for the club considering how many changes there were last summer.
Not only did several new players come in - but quite a few of their former key men left as well - with the team needing to adjust to a new playing style. They have managed to do that successfully and have now boosted their title chances further by securing a 2-0 victory against Sheffield United last night.
The Blades were in decent form and would have been in high spirits too after managing to create a gap between themselves and Middlesbrough - but probably knew they were going to be underdogs coming into this game.
Still, they would have wanted to win but their ability to achieve that aim was hampered in the 17th minute when Wes Foderingham brought down Nathan Tella, with the shot-stopper being sent off.
The visitors would have been glad to have gone in at 0-0 at the interval because of that - but Johann Berg Gudmundsson's brace proved to be the difference between the two sides in the end with the Icelander coming on when the teams re-emerged for the second half.
Bastien came on in the 77th minute for Josh Brownhill and that sums up his season, with the DR Congo international finding his game time limited at Turf Moor during the 2022/23 campaign.
He will be disappointed about this but may have been expecting to sit on the bench for much of the term considering the other options Vincent Kompany has at his disposal.
And he has still played his part in guiding the club back to the top tier, celebrating yesterday's win by posting: "Great result tonight to get closer to our ultimate goal. Unreal atmosphere again, happy to be part of this family."
The 26-year-old should probably engage in talks with Kompany about how he fits into the ex-Man City captain's plans next season - because he will want to win as much game time as possible.
However, he hasn't been one of the first names on the teamsheet in the Championship and could have even more competition for a starting spot next season.
They aren't guaranteed to improve their midfield during the summer with other areas to address as well - but the Clarets will probably have the budget to bring in an extra midfielder if they would like to.
The chance to play in the English top flight will be exciting for Bastien and he won't want to give up on his hopes of succeeding in Lancashire just yet - but a loan spell could be ideal for him if he isn't going to play every week next term.
At 26, he should be starting regularly to give himself the opportunity to develop further and reach his peak. Whether he gets that opportunity with the Clarets remains to be seen though - and it will be interesting to see whether he stays or not.