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Tom Heaton has hailed the spirit of the Burnley squad after coming through a tough first half of the season.
The Clarets’ started the campaign earlier than most due to their Europa League commitments and it clearly affected their form as Sean Dyche was forced to rotate his troops in the opening weeks.
After returning from a serious shoulder injury last summer, Heaton found his opportunities hard to come by before Christmas due to the form of Joe Hart but got his chance against West Ham on December 30.
The 33-year-old kept the gloves until the end of the season, helping his side finish 15th and regaining his spot in the England squad.
Following some tough months at Turf Moor, the former Cardiff man says it was heartening to see the squad pull together and seal their survival goal. He said: “You have to go back to the drawing board to a degree and get back to the basics.
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I put the work in and thankfully the opportunity came, so that’s certainly been a highlight. “Going on the run as well, making sure the lads were all in it together and had that unity – win, lose or draw. “That’s been a big feature this season, we’ve stuck together in tough times and that’s when it matters. It’s alright having a tight group, which is better than anywhere I’ve been or wherever anyone else has been, but that only makes a difference when times are tough.”
