'Locking the door': Scott Parker lauds Burnley's enviable clean sheet record

Saturday’s 2-0 victory against Sheffield Wednesday means the Clarets have now kept four consecutive clean sheets in the Championship – and six in total from their first 10 games.

Remarkably, James Trafford hasn’t shipped a goal in almost seven hours of football, a record that stretches back to the 2-1 comeback win against Portsmouth in September.

No other side in the Championship has conceded as few goals as Burnley, with four, with Sheffield United coming closest with five.

While questions have been raised about Burnley’s shyness in front of goal at the other end of the pitch, questions that were duly answered at Hillsborough at the weekend, there’s never been any question marks over the solidity of their backline.

“I’m really happy with that,” Parker said.

“We all want to see the attacking side, we all want to see the team score goals and the defensive side of the game is probably not as fashionable or as exciting, but for me as a coach first and foremost you want a foundation and we’ve given ourselves that.

“We’ve given ourselves a real platform in terms of locking the door and being pretty solid as a team. That’s not just the back four and the keeper I’m talking about, it’s the whole unit and the team.

“It was a really disciplined performance [on Saturday] and that gives you the chance to win games.”