BURNLEY captain Tom Heaton believes Sam Allardyce has earned his crack at the England job and the Clarets skipper is keen to make the most of a clean slate with the Three Lions.

Heaton came off the bench in England’s Euro 2016 warm-up win over Australia at the Stadium of Light, but having been given his chance in the national set-up by Roy Hodgson he could only watch on as they were dumped out of the tournament by Iceland.

That shock last 16 defeat cost Hodgson his job, with Allardyce now on the verge of replacing him, and Heaton insists the Football Association have made the right choice in opting for the 61-year-old.

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“They seem to have done an awful lot of background,” the Clarets number one said of the search for a new boss.

“From my experience with the FA they put a lot into things, they will do it right and look at everything.

“Sam’s a fantastic candidate for the job and fully warrants it. It’s fantastic for him and it will be interesting going forward.”

Heaton was third choice goalkeeper in France for England, behind Manchester City’s Joe Hart and Southampton’s Fraser Forster.

But Stoke City shot stopper Jack Butland will add to the competition for the goalkeeping places in the Three Lions squad once he returns from the fractured ankle which ruled him out of Euro 2016.

The appointment of a new manager will wipe the slate clean for England’s players though, and performances in the early weeks of the Premier League season could go a long way towards influencing Allardyce’s thoughts ahead of his first squad selection for the World Cup qualifier in Slovakia on September 4.

Heaton will be focusing on his club form at the start of the campaign, and hopes that proves to be enough to see him retain his place in the England squad and help him add to his solitary cap.

“We all know the script with that, the manager comes in and will look at things fresh and clean,” said the 30-year-old, who signed a new four-year contract at Turf Moor earlier this week.

“Everyone has a clean slate and I will be concentrating on my performances and doing what I can with that.

“In the grand scheme of things you don’t try and impress but that comes from performing on the pitch. That’s how you make the impression, it’s important to focus on that rather than trying to do other things. If you do the right things with performance the rest looks after itself.”

Having had a first taste of international football Heaton, who has started 130 consecutive league games since joining Burnley, is determined to build on that.

“It was incredible,” he said. “Playing for England was something I’d dreamt of as a boy and something I’d always looked to do.

“Going out on those loans moves and dropping down a little bit it felt a long way away but it’s something I never lost sight of.

“To finally do it was fantastic and it just makes you want more.”

While Euro 2016 ended in disappointment for England, Heaton will be forever grateful to Hodgson for introducing him into the Three Lions set-up.

“I have massive respect for him,” said the Clarets skipper. “He was the manager that got me involved in the first place and then kept me involved.

“He gave me my cap and I can’t thank him enough. I’m very grateful for that.

“It was disappointing how it ended in terms of the Iceland game but it’s football and that can happen.”