A CHANGE in mentality is behind Burnley's rapid improvement on the road in the Premier League this season, according to striker Sam Vokes.

The Wales international headed in the Clarets' winner at Southampton on Saturday to make it three wins from six away games this season.

Burnley have already won at Chelsea, Everton and now Southampton, and with draws at Tottenham and Liverpool thrown in they have 11 points from their travels this season, having taken just seven in the whole of last season.

Vokes puts that transformation away from Turf Moor down to a lack of fear that Burnley now possess.

"I think it’s the mentality, we go into games not fearing teams," the 28-year-old said. "We’ve had three wins against top, top Premier League sides now.

"It’s not just the wins it’s the performances that go with it."

The win on the south coast cemented the Clarets' seventh placed position in the Premier League.

It took Burnley to 19 points from their first 11 games and Vokes believes the rapid start, in the face of a tough fixture list away from home, is another sign of the progress being made at Turf Moor.

"It shows how far we’ve come. Last year a lot was made of our away performances and results have picked up," he said.

"That’s three wins on the road for us so far and it shows how far we’ve come as a squad. It’s another huge win."

Vokes was the hero on Saturday, rising from the bench to head in the winner eight minutes from time.

It was the third time Southampton-born Vokes has scored at St Mary's against the club he supported as a boy, but while the previous two came in defeats and when Burnley were already 3-0 down this striker was much sweeter.

"Yeah it was," Vokes said. "I was watching it from the bench and you see the resilience of the lads and how compact we are and how we stay in games.

"The defensive performance was brilliant, Popey and the two centre backs were great, that gives us a platform as strikers to come on and affect it and that’s how it worked."