EDDIE Howe hopes Burnley can repeat their top six charge of 2009 after admitting momentum is building.

The Clarets hovered outside the play-off pack until the final two months of the season the year they won promotion to the Premier League.

After 31 matches they had accrued 47 points – the same total they’ve racked up from the same number of games this time.

Currently sitting in eighth following Tuesday’s draw at Cardiff, Burnley are two places higher in the table than they were two years ago, but two points further behind sixth.

However, Howe is hopeful of coming up on the blindside to make their presence felt in the play-off pack.

“I’d love to think so. All we’ve got to do is concentrate on the short term and not get ahead of ourselves,” he said.

“We’ve still got a lot of tough games to come, we’re in the middle of a tough spell of away games and we want to get as many points from that spell.”

But he believes momentum is growing as they go into the final third of the season.

“When you go to places like Cardiff and get results, momentum does build,” said Howe, who oversaw back-to-back league wins for Burnley for the first time in 17 months, when Saturday’s 3-1 win at Watford came after beating Norwich at Turf Moor.

“I think we’re in a good run and at the moment we’d like the games to continue and come thick and fast.”

And the 33-year-old believes he is seeing the fruits of his early labours since taking charge.

“I think it’s a case of going in with your own ideas,” he said.

“I haven’t changed my philosophy from when I was at Bournemouth, it’s been the same.

“I’m gradually imprinting my beliefs on the club. You can’t come in and do that straight away, I think it’s a gradual process.

“I’ve inherited a very talented squad so I’m very lucky in that respect.

"It’s just a case of trying to get the lads to play to their potential.”