COULD this be the magical breakthrough Steve Cotterill has been seeking?

The Burnley manager has been busy performing a Houdini act this season, joking that some team selections have been made while wearing a hypothetical straitjacket.

So in keeping with the theme, Cotterill's charges picked precisely the right moment to weave their own brand of trickery and leave Aston Villa spellbound on another of those unforgettable cup nights at Turf Moor.

Now everyone connected with the club will be praying for a rabbit to be pulled out of the hat in the Carling Cup fourth round draw tonight to significantly ease the financial shackles that are halting the recruitment of players.

Oh for a Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea away from home and a full house that would significantly swell the coffers.

However, while everyone waits with baited breath to discover the Clarets fate, time should rightly be taken to reflect on a victory that was certainly no illusion.

Villa boss David O'Leary was gracious enough to concede that his side were strictly second best against a rampant Burnley team whose margin of victory would have been even greater but for Thomas Sorensen brilliantly saving a penalty from Burnley's own magician, Robbie Blake.

The Clarets skipper was simply sensational in as good a performance from a Burnley striker as I can recall in many a year.

And supported by 10 others playing at the peak of their powers, the Villains had no answer to the onslaught, later described as "embarrassing" by red-faced O'Leary.

"The best team won by a mile, he added. "I was disgusted with the performance and I don't want to mislead anyone because we came here to win this game with the best side I could field.

"But we gave bad goals away - especially the first - we were chasing things all night and, other than our late goal, their goalkeeper had not had a single save to make all night."

The stroll was made all the more remarkable since Burnley were missing three players who have formed the backbone of the team during Cotterill's short reign.

Deprived of defender Frank Sinclair through suspension and striker Ian Moore following knee surgery, the Clarets suffered another pre-match blow as midfielder Richard Chaplow failed to shake off a knock to the knee picked up during last Friday's wretched 2-0 home defeat to Derby.

But those gaps were plugged admirably by all three remaining senior outfield players in the squad as Burnley made a mockery of the 27 league places and millions of pounds that separate two teams sharing a same colour kit, but little else these days.

There was no sign of the carnage to come as Villa stamped their Premiership class on the early exchanges.

Fielding a virtually full strength team in a competition that arguably offered O'Leary's men their easiest path to European football, they carried an early swagger.

But after just nine minutes, the strutting stopped as Graham Branch rose to meet Blake's hanging cross to give the Clarets a stunning lead.

Lee Hendrie whipped a curling drive just wide soon after and we all waited for the visitors to step up another gear.

But it was Burnley who went into overdrive and forced Villa into reverse with some scintillating, sweeping moves of their own.

Micah Hyde latched on to a sublime Blake flick and blasted a 30-yard sighter just over the bar, before Blake himself sent Sorensen scrambling with a deflected shot that looped just wide.

The ever-dangerous Carlton Cole looked Villa's best attacking outlet, but too many times his trickery was not matched by sluggish team-mates failing to offer genuine support.

And as the half ended, Burnley really should have doubled their lead as Blake's cross deflected off Branch into the path of the onrushing Tony Grant, whose first goal in two years looked a formality, only for the midfielder to fire over the angle from 12 yards.

However, 'firsts' would become a feature of the second half after Blake had spurned a golden chance to take his tally to nine for the season from the penalty spot on 56 minutes.

On-loan Richard Duffy, operating on the right side of midfield in his second Clarets start, played a neat one-two with Blake and saw Jlloyd Samuel take his heels as he shaped to shoot.

Blake looked to have buried the resulting spot kick, but somehow penalty king Sorensen made a stupendous save low to his right to register his 10th save in 13 attempts.

It mattered not though as Turf Moor erupted nine minutes later following a goal from the unlikeliest of sources.

Jet-heeled Mo Camara had not found the target for five-and-a-half barren years, dating back to his days in the French second division with Lille.

And the celebration after he glanced Tony Grant's superb left wing cross past a startled Sorensen said everything about how delighted Camara was to end that run.

A madcap 70-yard dash to Cotterill - who had predicted the defender would score - was a memorable moment for the galloping Guinean!

More chances went begging as Burnley turned the screw further, but typically Juan Pablo Angel looked like making it a nervy ending with a stunning 81st minute header from Luke Moore's cross to halve the deficit.

However, Frenchman Jean Louis Valois ended all fears of a fightback within five minutes, capping his best display in a Burnley shirt with his first goal for the club after latching on to Blake's pass, then showing Pete Whittingham a clean pair of heels and finally blasting the ball past Sorensen at the near post.

So Burnley are now in last 16 of the Carling Cup for the second time in three seasons.

In 2002, the Clarets beat Premiership opposition in the form of Spurs and pulled out Manchester United as a juicy fourth round plum. How about a timely repeat?

THE STATS

ATT: 11,184

VILLA: Sorensen, Delaney, Mellberg, Ridgewell, Samuel (Hitzlsperger 61), Hendrie, McCann, Whittingham, Solano (Moore 72), Angel, Cole.

Subs Not Used: Postma, De la Cruz, Davis.

GOALS: 1-0 Branch (9), 2-0 Camara (65), 2-1 Angel (81), 3-1 Valois (86).

REFEREE: C Foy (Merseyside). 7

BOOKED: Grant (35).

ATTENDANCE: 11,184