Burnley: How do Vincent Kompany's Clarets compare to the best teams in Championship history?

Vincent Kompany's Burnley have already secured promotion to the Premier League and are chasing down the Championship title; Watch the Sky Bet Championship clash between Burnley and Sheffield United live on Sky Sports Football from 7.30pm on Easter Monday; Kick off 8pm

By Dan Long, Digital football journalist @DanLong__

The 2022/23 season has been one of incredible transformation for Burnley.

The Clarets' six-year stint in the Premier League came to an end on the final day of the previous campaign and, with Sean Dyche having left the club over a month beforehand - following just shy of a decade in charge - relegation brought a new dawn for the Lancashire club.

Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany left his job at Anderlecht to take over at Turf Moor and has turned Burnley from a team synonymous with a 4-4-2 formation into a slick, free-scoring, possession-loving powerhouse.

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On Good Friday, they secured promotion to the Premier League at the first time of asking, with a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough.

Here, we take a look at how their numbers compare to the records that have been set since the Championship was re-branded at the start of the 2004/05 season and the ones Kompany's Clarets could still break themselves...

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Most points

What's the current record? Reading posted the highest record points tally since the Championship was rebranded in 2004/05 when they won the 2005/06 title with 106 points.

Can Burnley break it? Yes. Burnley have taken 87 points from their 39 Championship matches so far, which equates to an average of 2.23 points per game.

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There are 21 points available across the final seven matches of the season and, if the Clarets take every single one, they will end on 108 points, which would set a new divisional record. Based on their current point-per-game average, however, they will end with 103 points.

Burnley's remaining fixtures

  • Sheffield United (H) - Monday April 10, 8pm - Live on Sky Sports
  • Reading (A) - Saturday April 15, 3pm
  • Rotherham (A) - Tuesday April 18, 7.45pm
  • QPR (H) - Saturday April 22, 3pm
  • Blackburn (A) - Tuesday April 25, 8pm - Live on Sky Sports
  • Bristol City (A) - Saturday April 29, 3pm
  • Cardiff (H) - Monday May 8, 3pm

Most wins

Image: Jamie Vardy was part of the Leicester team that won the title after 31 wins in 2013/14

What's the current record? Reading and Leicester share this record, having won 31 games each during their respective Championship title wins in 2005/06 and 2013/14.

Can Burnley break it? Yes. Kompany's men have won 25 of their 39 matches so far and, to set a new record, they would have to win each of their remaining seven matches, which does not allow for them to drop points again this season.

Most wins in succession

Image: Nathan Tella scored a hat-trick as Burnley beat Preston 3-0 on February 11 to seal a record-equalling 10th straight Championship win

What's the current record? Burnley have already equalled the Championship record of 10 - achieved by Reading in 2005/06 and Aston Villa in 2018/19 - this season by winning every single league match between November 13 and February 11.

Can Burnley break it? No. The Clarets won their last two games in succession before the international break, but after their 0-0 draw with Sunderland at Turf Moor, they can now only win eight in a row.

Most home wins

Image: Xisco Munoz led Watford to promotion to the Premier League in 2020/21

What's the current record? Reading and Watford share this record, having won 19 of their 23 home games in the 2005/06 and 2020/21 seasons respectively.

Can Burnley break it? No. Burnley have won 14 of their 20 home games so far. With three games left, they can only win a maximum of 17.

Most away wins

Image: Norwich won 15 of their 23 away games on the way to the 2020/21 Championship title

What's the current record? West Ham and Norwich share this record, having won 15 of their 23 away games in the 2011/12 and 2020/21 seasons respectively.

Can Burnley break it? No, but they can equal it. Kompany's side have won 11 of their 19 away games so far and can reach 15 if they win every single one of their remaining fixtures on the road.

Fewest games lost in a season

What's the current record? Reading lost just two games - against Plymouth and Luton - on their way to the 2005/06 Championship title.

Can Burnley break it? No, but they are on course to match the record if they avoid defeat in each of their final seven matches.

Longest unbeaten run

What's the current record? Reading set the current record by going 33 league games unbeaten between August 2005 and February 2006.

Can Burnley break it? No. Burnley are currently unbeaten in 19 league matches and have lost just once since a 1-0 defeat to Watford on August 12.

That defeat, which came against Sheffield United on November 5 2022, means the longest unbeaten run the Clarets can muster is 26, should they avoid defeat in their final seven matches.

Image: Burnley need to avoid defeat in their final three home matches to complete an unbeaten season at Turf Moor

Most goals scored

Image: Aleksandar Mitrovic scored 43 of Fulham's record 106 Championship goals last season

What's the current record? Fulham set a new record last season, scoring 106 goals - 43 of which were netted by Aleksandar Mitrovic - on their way to the Championship title.

Can Burnley break it? Yes. Burnley have scored 76 goals in 39 games so far, which comes in at an average of 1.95 goals per game. However, if they continue that rate until the end of the season, they will score 90 goals, which is 16 short of Fulham's benchmark.

Most home goals scored

Image: Dave Kitson scored 11 of Reading's 58 goals at home in their historic 2005/06 campaign

What's the current record? Reading scored 58 goals in 23 matches at the Madejski Stadium throughout their title-winning 2005/06 season.

Can Burnley break it? Yes. Burnley have scored 43 home goals in 20 matches this season, at an average of 2.15 goals per game. However, if they continue at this rate, they will finish the campaign with 49 goals scored at Turf Moor, nine short of the record.

Most away goals scored

Image: Fulham matched Bournemouth's record of 50 away goals last term

What's the current record? Fulham scored 50 goals on the road last season, which matched Bournemouth's record set in the 2014/15 season.

Can Burnley break it? Yes. Burnley have scored 33 away goals in 19 matches so far, at an average of 1.74 goals per game. However, if they continue at this rate, they will score 40 away from home, 10 short of the record.

Fewest goals conceded

Image: Watford conceded an average of 0.65 goals-per-game during their 2020/21 promotion season

What's the current record? Watford conceded only 30 goals in 46 games during their 2020/21 promotion season, which equates to just 0.65 goals per game. Preston did the same in 2005/06, when they eventually lost to Leeds in the play-off semi-finals.

Can Burnley break it? No, but they can equal it. The Clarets have shipped 30 in 39 games so far and are currently on course to concede 35 based on their current average of 0.77 goals conceded per game.

Fewest home goals conceded

Image: Middlesbrough conceded just eight goals at the Riverside Stadium throughout the course of the 2015/16 season

What's the current record? Middlesbrough, amazingly, shipped just eight goals on their way to finishing second behind Burnley in the 2015/16 campaign.

Can Burnley break it? No. The Clarets have already conceded 13 in 20 games at Turf Moor with three fixtures left to play.

Fewest away goals conceded

What's the current record? This record is shared by Sheffield United, QPR and Newcastle, who conceded 17 each in 2008/09, 2010/11 and 2016/17 respectively.

Can Burnley break it? No. Burnley have conceded 17 goals in their 19 Championship away matches so far this term, which means they can only match the current record - and to do so, they would have to keep four straight clean sheets on the road.

Biggest positive goal difference

What's the current record? Reading posted a goal difference of +67 at the end of their historic 2005/06 season, having scored 99 goals and conceded 32.

Can Burnley break it? Yes. Burnley currently boast a goal difference of +46 with seven games left to play this season.

Most points ahead of second

What's the current record? Reading finished 16 points ahead of Sheffield United on their way to the title in the 2005/06 campaign.

Can Burnley break it? Yes. The Clarets currently lead second-placed side, incidentally, Sheffield United by 13 points. The teams play one another at Turf Moor on Easter Monday at 8pm, live on Sky Sports.

Watch Burnley vs Sheffield United live on Sky Sports on Easter Monday; Kick off 8pm

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