Gray thrilled with last 12 months at Burnley

There’s been plenty of doom and gloom around 2016 but Burnley striker Andre Gray will always look back at the last 12 months with huge fondness.

And the 25-year-old couldn’t have ended the calendar year in a better way, as he smashed a hat-trick in the Clarets’ 4-1 thrashing of Sunderland on New Year’s Eve.

Gray, who hit a hat-trick in his final game of 2015 against Bristol City, became the first Burnley player since Peter Noble in 1975 to score three times in a single top-flight game.

“It’s been the best year. I couldn’t have asked for anything for more and to get a hat-trick on the last day is massive,” he said.

(Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

“I’m buzzing. It’s an extra thing to add on top of it being a great week for us. I think it was three years ago I was playing in non-league.

“I never would have dreamed of scoring a hat-trick in the Premier League three years on. To do that was great. The last two games have been massive, playing teams in and around us.

“Obviously there’s a long way to go but it’s a massive step for us. It gives us a bit of breathing space, but nothing’s done yet.”