THERE might not have been any Premier League action but I’d say it’s been a pretty good week to be a Clarets fan.

First Nick Pope gets a start for England in the 4-0 stroll in Kosovo and then Charlie Taylor signs a new contract.

A clean sheet on your Three Lions debut is the stuff of dreams but it’s probably fair to point out that Popey didn’t have a lot to do, aside from deal with a couple of shots straight at him from the home side.

That said, the Kosovans did stick three past England rival Jordan Pickford at Wembley earlier in the qualifying campaign.

I think it’s going to be very difficult to shift the Everton keeper from the number one spot but all Nick can do is keep playing well for the Clarets and keep hoping boss Gareth Southgate comes to his senses before the Euros next summer.

His rise from non-league and a milk round to the Premier League and an England start has been well-documented over the last couple of weeks but what a tale it is!

It’s the kind of stuff that used to appear in comic books.

Since coming into the Burnley side two seasons ago he’s been superb and he is real proof that if you work hard behind the scenes and bide your time then your chance will come.

Taylor has also had to bide his time this season but he’s another player who is now reaping the rewards.

It must have been frustrating for him to get the knock in pre-season and then spend the first few games of the campaign on the bench whilst Erik Pieters turned in some decent performances after his arrival from Stoke.

But it’s all about grabbing your opportunity at Turf Moor and he did just that when he replaced Pieters at half-time in the 3-0 defeat at Sheffield United.

The Clarets kept a clean sheet in that second half and then another in the win over West Ham United in the final game before the international break.

I’ve said before that he adds a bit of something extra to our game down the left and there’s no doubting he’s worth every penny of that new contract.

It’s great to see the club protecting its assets by getting them to sign longer-term deals and I just hope we can get Jeff Hendrick on a new deal in the next few weeks with his contract due to expire at the end of the season. 

I think that would be another big step in the right direction.