TOM Heaton’s top priority is to keep goals out, but the Clarets’ captain likes to set them too.

A call-up to the England camp was a box ticked in May but now, with a fourth in-a-row, the goalkeeper has targeted the next step.

“I’ve had a taste of it now and I want to get on the pitch. That’s the next marker,” said the 29-year-old, ahead of tonight’s friendly with Spain in Alicante, followed by France at Wembley on Tuesday, November 17.

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A place at France 2016 is on his radar too.

He said: “It’s another thing to strive for. They’re all the goals that you’re looking to achieve.

“I try to not to use it too much in terms of motivation to perform, I want to be performing anyway irrespective of that, but it just gives you another marker and another thing to strive towards.”

While it would be a marker of improvement, bettering himself is something Heaton always works towards in any situation, be it for club or country.

“That’s something I’ve strived for, especially as a young goalkeeper a few years ago. There would be some good days, but there would be some not so good days,” said the former Manchester United and Cardiff City stopper, who is behind Joe Hart and Jack Butland in England’s pecking order.

“My aim prior to coming here was to find that consistency.

“I sat behind David Marshall at Cardiff for a season and only played two games in the league, I watched him week in, week out, and he was brilliant every week.

“You think to yourself it is possible, it’s how you find that.

“I’m very much a routine-based person so I try to generate the same thing before every game, follow the same pattern, and thankfully so far the consistency seems to be there.

“The important thing is that keeps going – I still want to get better and keep raising the bar in terms of my own performance.”

There is no shortage of self-motivation for the Clarets’ captain.

“I still want to better myself, but I think getting the mind in the right place is important, especially when there are a lot of games – finding that rhythm in terms of your mental state – and giving yourself the best chance to perform,” added the Turf stopper.

“You’re never going to be perfect, everyone’s human, it’s about trying to reduce that as much as you possibly can and keep your performances as consistent and high as possible.

“There are always going to be dips, it’s about keeping that to a minimum.”