MARTIN Paterson is hoping his two-goal blast at Oakwell is proof enough that he’s become an accomp-lished finisher in the Championship.

The Clarets striker returned to his lethal best on Monday night with a brilliant brace that almost helped Burnley snatch a share of the spoils at Barn-sley.

Unfortunately for Owen Coyle’s men, Paterson’s second-half heroics were not enough as the Tykes held on for a 3-2 win in a game marred by the Yorkshire side’s controver-sial second goal – when Simon Whaley scored despite being two yards offside.

However, Paterson’s double was a huge tonic for the 21-year-old, who had gone almost two months without a goal for the Turf Moor outfit, during which time he had spent periods on the bench.

“I’ve been dying to get on the last three or four games – ever since I was brought out of the team,” said the Northern Ireland interna-tional.

“I’ve wanted to get back on and show people that I’m a goalscorer and I’ll score goals in this league, no matter who we play against.

“I’ve come off in games and people have come on and scored. It’s great that sometimes they can dig you out.

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t dig the lads out. But I came on, played my game in and around the box and took my chances when they came.

“Personally, I’m happy to have scored two, but I’m gutted we didn’t get the result.”

Paterson believes the Clarets were victims of poor refereeing at Oakwell as Whaley’s strike stood, despite television replays showing clearly that the on-loan Preston winger had scored from an off-side position.

And the former Scunthorpe man insists it is not the first time that Burnley have faulen foul of officials, after seeing his ‘goal’ at Charlton last month controversially rubbed out for off-side.

He said: “If we miss a sitter, people will get at us, but there seems to be a bad refereeing decision every week and they’re getting away with it.

"My goal at Charlton should have stood, so how many points is that?

“Barnsley’s second goal shouldn't have been allowed, so that would have been a point for us.

“I was a bit angry at the way the game was going because I felt we deserved a lot more.

"All the lads were gutted in the changing room because we were robbed by a goal that should never have been.”

But Paterson is hopeful that the Clarets will now begin to earn their own rub of the green, beginning with Saturday’s Championship clash against Derby at Turf Moor.

“We’re doing really well this year but, to be honest, we’ve been unlucky with decisions,” the ex-Scunthorpe man said.

“But it isn’t all down to that. We know the performance wasn’t as good as we’ve shown, so on Saturday, we’ll have to try to take it out on Derby.

“Everything evens itself out during a season. When it’s gone against you, it’s not nice, but we’ll come good and things will go for us.

“We need to re-group, kick on again as a squad and I’m sure we’ll be okay.”