CAPTAIN Tom Heaton has backed the promotion winning experience in the Burnley squad to play a key factor as the battle to reach the Premier League intensifies.

With 16 matches to go the Clarets have hit form at the right time, moving to within a point of the top two with a seven game unbeaten run that has included victories over rivals Hull and Derby County.

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And while Sean Dyche's side are flying, some of their rivals are stuttering, with Middlesbrough winless in four and Derby on a seven match streak without a win in the league that culminated in head coach Paul Clement being sacked earlier this week.

Both Boro and the Rams have stumbled with promotion in their grasp in recent seasons, whereas Burnley got over the line in 2013/14, and Heaton believes that positive experience could help in the run-in.

"We think so. Without looking too much at anyone else the majority of our squad has got that experience and there’s a lot to say for that," he said.

"We’ve only really tasted success. We know what it required, we know what it takes."

Nine of the squad members who played a part in the promotion winning campaign two years ago are still at the club, although Ashley Barnes is a long-term injury absentee and Dean Marney is edging his way back to fitness.

But Heaton, Scott Arfield, Michael Duff, David Jones, Michael Kightly, Ben Mee and Sam Vokes are in the first-team picture, while Kevin Long and Danny Lafferty also featured that season, but both are currently out on loan.

And the Turf Moor experience is supplemented by Joey Barton, George Boyd, Matty Taylor and Stephen Ward, who have all won promotion from the second tier to the top flight with other clubs.

The Clarets fine form is unlikely to last until the end of the season, and Heaton believes it is when they suffer a blow that the experience could come to the fore.

"There is a very good feel at the moment," he said.

"It won’t always go our way and that’s when the experience will come into play, we’ll keep things tight, they’ll be no negativity creeping in or panic buttons being pressed, we’ll keep doing what we do and keep looking to give everything we’ve got.

"With this squad and the ability that will take us close.

"We’re not going to win every game, there’s going to be bumps in the road and it’s not always going to go our way, but one thing we are going to do is keep putting performances in like that (against Hull) and taking that attitude forward."

And Heaton hailed the importance of the victories over rivals such as Derby and Hull in the promotion battle.

"You don’t want to give anything away to the teams around you so if you can beat them you can get things back or increase the gap as it may be," he said.

"I don’t think we started too well with that in the first half of the season but we’ve certainly kicked that on and had some really good results."