Captain Heaton heaps praise on Clarets’ unity
Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton praised his side’s unity after they bounced back from defeat to become only the second team to beat Everton in the Premier League this season on Saturday.
A last-minute winner from Scott Arfield at Turf Moor secured the Clarets a 2-1 victory, their third league win this term, after Sam Vokes had initially given them the lead five minutes before the break.
It was a revived performance following Burnley’s 3-1 defeat to Southampton the previous week, with only Heaton’s heroics between the sticks preventing a heavier deficit in what was an uncharacteristic performance from Sean Dyche’s men.
But captain Heaton was quick to commend his team-mates’ determination after victory over the Toffees.
“We were very disappointed with how we went about it last week. We sorted that out and moved forward into this game and I thought we went about it really, really well,” he said.
“I thought we played some really good football, but more importantly we showed that heart and desire which are the backbone of our performances.”
(Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Saturday’s result saw Burnley move up into 14th in the Premier League table, with a trip to Manchester United next up for the Clarets.
And Heaton – who will face his old club at Old Trafford on Saturday – insists confidence is high as his side look to build on their top-flight experience.
“We spoke about it in pre-season. It took us to our 11th game last time to get a win. It’s got a different feel this time,” he said.
“The naivety has gone, if you like. We know the job it’s going to take and I think we have shown we can more than cope and we’ve gone about it really well.
“There are times when we haven’t done but we are going to learn from those and it’s really exciting at the minute.
“You can feel it in the stadium. The fans were fantastic again and you can just feel that passion and enthusiasm.”
