A CHANGE of mentality in how Burnley approach away games is behind their transformation on the road this season, according to left-back Stephen Ward.

The Clarets took just seven points from their 19 Premier League away games last season, with their only success on the road coming at the end of April when Crystal Palace were beaten 2-0.

But three away games this season have already yielded five points and Burnley are unbeaten from trips to Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool.

The task doesn’t get much easier for Sean Dyche’s side as they travel to Everton on Sunday before a trip to Manchester City, but they will head to Merseyside this weekend full of confidence.

“When you start a new season you look at things that you can improve on and that was one of them, our away form,” the 32-year-old said.

“We’ve spoken about it, the mental side of it, approaching games in the same way that we do at home, and so far it’s been good. Long may that continue.

“Last season, in the second half (of the season), we played a lot better away from home and we were probably unlucky not to get some results.

“It’s just about working hard on the training ground and the gaffer obviously sets us up with a game plan.

“Sometimes we know that we’re not going to have as much possession as we would like or create too many chances to score so we have to be on our guard at the back. If the chances come along we’ve got to take them and thankfully we’ve done that this season so far.”

Burnley followed up an opening day success against champions Chelsea, which saw Ward score a sensational goal. with 1-1 draws at Wembley and Anfield.

The fixture list has handed them trips to five of last season’s top seven in their first five away games of the campaign, but Goodison Park and the Etihad Stadium will hold few fears for the Clarets now.

“We always have belief in ourselves and the manager takes each game as it is,” Ward said.

“Obviously he has a lot of respect for these teams but he tells it as it is. We know they’re good sides but he always believes in us and that’s a great thing. It shows out there on the pitch.”

Burnley’s defensive resilience has been key on the road, with the Clarets soaking up plenty of pressure against Tottenham and Liverpool but restricting their hosts to few clear cut chances.

“We’ve always been like that, worked up until the end,” Ward added. “Thankfully we’re getting our rewards for it this season.

“That’s our mantra - the manager wants hard work and for us to do the basics right. That’s what we’ve tried to do and we’re building on that.”