IT’S CLEAN START, JOE

Hart’s Clarets debut keeps Turks out

JOE HART marked his Burnley debut with a clean sheet as Sean Dyche’s men held firm in Istanbul.

Having seen off Aberdeen in the Europa League second qualifying round, the Clarets embarked on their first overseas adventure in 51 years in front of around 600 travelling fans at the Fatih Terim Stadium.

Hart (right) made a couple of decent stops just 48 hours after signing from Manchester City to keep the tie in the balance before next week’s return at Turf Moor.

Dyche made six changes from the side which edged Aberdeen, with Phil Bardsley, Charlie Taylor and Jon Walters all involved.

His side were slow to find their feet, at times literally as several players slipped on the pitch.

Basaksehir’s Eljero Elia came closer than anyone to making an early breakthrough, but scuffed his shot at the crucial moment.

Emre Belozoglu, the 37-year-old former Newcastle playmaker, was directing much of the action.

But Burnley’s defensive duo of

Ben Mee and James Tarkowski were letting little through.

The pair also combined in the final third as the visitors made a rare foray upfield, Mee nodding down a hanging freekick and Tarkowski hesitating over a shot he might have struck more instinctively. Hart’s first notable save for his new club came on the half-hour, responding well after Junior Caicara evaded Taylor and aimed low at the near post. There was time for a second before the break, tipping over the bar from Manuel da Costa. The stalemate continued in a scrappy start to the second period, Jeff Hendrick closed down by goalkeeper Mert Gunok when one more cutback would have given Ashley Barnes a simple shot. On the hour, Basaksehir substitute Milos Jojic went close with his first touch, seemingly beating Hart only to see his effort crash into the side-netting.

Wales striker Sam Vokes was sent on to offer another option. But when Hart was booked for time-wasting, it seemed clear that Dyche’s men were happy to settle for what they had.