BURNLEY skipper Tom Heaton believes some time in the sun can help Burnley recharge for the final 12 games of the Premier League season.

The Clarets are currently in Portugal on a warm weather training camp as they take advantage of a free weekend due to their early exit from the FA Cup.

Sean Dyche’s side jetted off on the back of a 3-1 away win at Brighton which extended Burnley’s unbeaten top flight run to seven games and ensured they remained clear of the bottom three.

And Heaton, who excelled in the Amex Stadium success, is confident the Clarets will reap the benefit on and off the pitch.

“We went last season and had a good week so I think the plan is to go there and do the same again,” he said speaking before Burnley departed.

“We train hard, it’s 24/7, a bit of warm weather training out on the grass, gym work, when you’re out there you can get some really good stuff in. When there’s no game at the end of the week it allows you to push the boundaries a little bit. I’m sure there’ll be a bit of that.

“The scientists will tell you, with the warm weather, there’s a lot of benefits to it. You’re with each other 24/7 so you see a lot of each other.

“When we’re there there’ll be a few extra-curricular things to do as well, it’s a really tight unit. We’ll put some good work in and enjoy that time together.

“They help massively. When things aren’t going too well you can use that to your advantage, when it’s not happening on the pitch you need that togetherness.

“We’ve been through it before, we have good relationships, good bonds.”

Despite an upturn in form in recent weeks which has yielded 15 points from a possible 21, Burnley remain just three points and three places clear of the dropzone.

Relegation rivals Cardiff City heaped the pressure on the Clarets ahead of the Brighton game last weekend by winning at Southampton but Heaton said the focus at Turf Moor remains on what they can achieve, not what others are doing.

“We tried not to be aware of that,” said the goalkeeper when asked if the players were aware of Saturday afternoon’s results.

“Somebody heard the news that Cardiff had won but we made sure that stayed low key. The focus has got to be on ourselves because there’s a long way to go and anything else only serves as a distraction. It was a really good performance and an excellent result.

“If you’re not careful it can derail you a little bit so we try to stay focussed on the job in hand. I was aware of it, I heard while we were in there, but as soon as anyone else spoke about it they got short shrift to keep it quiet.

“We have to concentrate on the job, that’s important.”