MICHAEL Duff believes Tom Heaton’s England debut is just reward for his Clarets consistency.

Heaton became the first Burnley player to represent the Three Lions in 42 years on Friday night, coming on for Fraser Forster in the 87th minute of England’s 2-1 win over Australia at the Stadium of Light.

The 30-year-old is the first Clarets goalkeeper to win senior England recognition since Colin McDonald in 1958 and today he will be confirmed in Roy Hodgson’s final 23-man for Euro 2016.

Heaton will play third fiddle in France behind Joe Hart and Forster but Duff, who retired this summer after 383 Clarets appearances, believes Burnley’s captain deserved his international debut on the back of a successful season at Turf Moor.

“Tom’s been brilliant. I know how much making the Euros means to him,” said Duff, who came to trust the man stood behind him for the past three seasons in Sean Dyche’s Burnley side.

“Me and Tom have quite a bit of banter because I generally hate goalies, if you watch highlights from the Football League show you’d see so many goals where you can blame the goalie.

“But over the last three years I can think of maybe one or two where you look at Tom and think you could have done better there. Over 100 to 150 games that’s some achievement.”

Heaton signed for Burnley from Bristol City in the summer of 2013 and immediately made himself first choice.

The England new boy has now started 130 successive league games for the club and was captain of the Championship-winning side this season.

And Duff, who played 87 games in front of Heaton before announcing his retirement this summer and taking up a coaching role in the academy, believes the former Manchester United trainee has proved to be a shrewd signing for the club.

“He does everything well,” said Duff. “He makes good saves and he doesn’t make mistakes, it’s brilliant knowing you’ve got someone steady behind you, you always know where Tom is going to be and his communication is excellent.

“He’s been brilliant for this football club.”

Heaton is part of an initial 26-man squad named by Hodgson for the Euro 2016 warm-up games against Turkey, Australia and Portugal.

But with only three goalkeepers named in that squad the trio will all be on the plane for the tournament, with Hodgson cutting three outfield players out today.

England play Portugal at Wembley in their final friendly before the tournament on Thursday, and they begin their Euro 2016 campaign against Russia in Marseille on Saturday, June 11.