Tom eager to push boundaries

Sean Dyche’s side came through a testing week without blemish, adding impressive victories over MK Dons and Brentford to their FA Cup triumph over Middlesbrough.

But the fixtures on the horizon are equally as challenging as Burnley face three of the top six with an FA Cup fourth round tie against holders Arsenal at the Emirates thrown in for good measure.

The forthcoming flurry of fixtures, which includes a midweek trip to Hillsborough to face Sheffield Wednesday and a clash against Hull City, begins on Monday night when Derby County, armed with Jason Shackell, are the visitors to Turf Moor.

“It’s been a massive week,” said the skipper. “I’ve said a few times I feel like it’s been coming. We’ve been piecing it together and seen more than glimpses, and it’s starting to really come together.

“The important thing is we keep it going, keep moving forward, keep pushing the boundaries and keep stepping on.

“Monday is obviously the next marker for us. It’s a game we’re looking forward to and three points will be the target.”

Heaton feels the Clarets have proven their ability in recent outings, claiming the first half performance at Griffin Park was the best he’d witnessed since joining the club in 2013.

“Definitely, the chances we had, the movement, the passing - even the defensive shape and not letting them get out, everything was outstanding,” he said.

“It really came together. It’s always difficult in the second half because they’ve got to have a reaction. I thought we dealt with it very well to be fair.

“When the goal went in I’ve played in plenty of teams that wouldn’t have handled it anywhere near as well as we did - that unit and framework stands us in great stead.

“We managed to get a great win to end a fantastic week, and we’re looking forward to the next one.”