Gus Poyet insists Billy Paynter is not to blame for his goal drought since joining Albion.

The striker has yet to score following his loan move from Leeds at the end of October.

Paynter’s loan expires on January 2. No decision has been made yet on where his future lies but boss Poyet said: “It has been a pleasure to have Billy here. He’s a great boy. He has adapted very well to us.

“Maybe he has been a bit unlucky that we’ve not been at our best. Strikers need the team to play well to be able to score. If we don’t produce then of, course, they are going to get the blame for sure, because at the end of the year it’s a case of how many games and how many goals.

“We haven’t put him in the right places to score. That is the part of the game we are trying to get better right now, to give the strikers the chance to score.”

Paynter is hoping for a repeat of his last clash with Burnley as he comes face-to-face with former Swindon partner Charlie Austin today.

His last appearance in a Leeds shirt at Elland Road came in a 1-0 win against Burnley at the end of last season.