Burnley Women extended their winning run to three matches in all competitions with a 4-0 victory away at Derby County on Sunday afternoon.

Claudia Walker played a key role in both first-half goals before substitutes Danielle Maxwell and Laura Elford secured all three points after the break, with the former netting on debut.

There were two changes to the team that started last week’s emphatic 9-0 victory over Stourbridge and both came in defence.

Naomi Hartley stepped into the heart of the back line in place of club captain Jade Richards, while Emma Siddall started at left-back in a switch that saw Tilly Wilkes drop to the bench.

It was a bitty start to the action at the Don Amott Arena, with the referee stopping play on multiple occasions in order to change the ball on a pleasantly sunny afternoon.

Clarets ‘keeper Kirstie Levell made the first save of the afternoon with 16 minutes on the clock when, having initially given the ball away, she recovered well to save Chene Muir’s effort low to her left.

The deadlock was broken soon after when Rhema Lord-Mears delivered a deep corner kick towards the back post and Walker was on hand to head her seventh goal of the season.

Derby were mostly restricted to efforts from range and Rebecca May was particularly keen to take them on, clearing the frame of the goal on two occasions.

After Hartley headed a presentable chance wide from a corner, fine play from Walker forced an own goal to double the Clarets’ lead before the interval.

The striker, who has now scored in three straight matches, turned well inside the area and crossed dangerously towards Anna Grey, forcing Daisy Burt to turn the ball into her own net.

Derby weren’t giving up though and almost pulled one back in first-half stoppage time, but Ella Hilliard’s free-kick narrowly evaded everybody in the box.

Burnley’s Hartley headed the first chance of the second period wide before Head Coach Rebecca Sawiuk turned to her bench for the first time, introducing Aimee Kelly in place of Grey.

Walker had a chance to extend the lead to three shortly before the hour but took too much time when one-on-one with Derby ‘keeper Lucy Jones.

Maxwell then replaced Heidi Logan and it took just five minutes for the Northern Ireland international to score her first goal for the Club.

Lord-Mears did well to force a Derby defender into a mistake and crossed for our new number 39 to finish first time from around the penalty spot.

The hosts didn’t give up and centre-back Georgia Marshall produced a strong tackle to deny Kate Oakley before Levell showed real bravery to rush out to the feet of a Ewes striker.

Elford replaced Walker in the 77th minute and she had an impact even quicker than Maxwell, planting Kelly’s cross into the bottom right corner with her head less than two minutes later.

Our last change saw Bella Reidford replace Amelia Hazard for the final five minutes plus stoppage-time and the remaining minutes passed without incident.

A third straight clean sheet and victory takes Sawiuk’s side’s points tally to 31 from 12 matches, leaving them 3rd in the table with a game in hand on the top two.

The Clarets are next in action away at Halifax’s Horsfall Stadium on Sunday 9th February, with kick-off at 3pm.

Burnley: Levell, Docherty, Siddall, McPartlan, Marshall, Logan (Maxwell 68), Walker (Elford 77), Grey (Kelly 53), Lord-Mears, Hazard (Reidford 85), Hartley

Unused Substitutes: McAloon, Palmer, Wilkes

Derby County: Jones, Steggles, Jackson, Hilliard, Wilson (McGowan 77), Joyce, Muir (Oakley 72), Burt (Rai 46), May (Tweedie 77), Skeldon, McAffrey

Unused Substitutes: Morgan, Ward, Meadows

Goals: Walker 22', Burt OG 41’, Maxwell 73’, Elford 79’