That makes securing a win against Sean Dyche’s Clarets all the more important at the weekend. Depending on other results, a win for either side could lift them as high as 16th in the table.
Speaking to the media ahead of the match, Pearson reflected: “I don’t spend a lot of time doing the mathematical connotations that you might be doing. For me it’s very much about being able to keep it in our own hands by the last weekend of the season.
“We’ll have made a good fist of what has been a really difficult season. First and foremost, we’ve got to try and win our own games. If we can apply pressure on other games by getting positives then fine, and if results go for us elsewhere, then fine.
“The bottom line is I want to be sitting here talking about our own performances and results making the real difference. When you do that, it’s potentially slightly easier to deal with than having to look elsewhere to see how results have gone.”