AFTER the defensive disaster against Reading, Clarets boss Stan Ternent named his eighth central defensive partnership of the season.

And in Drissa Diallo and Ian Cox he may have found the pair that will bring some much needed stability to the back-line - and in Cox he even found a fox in the box.

While he was a rock in his own area, it was the recalled defender who popped up to get the all-important winning goal to extend Burnley's remarkable run to four wins in four games against the Sky Blues.

If Reading enjoy playing Burnley, Ternent's team loves being sent to Coventry.

Cox had been the man who missed out when Diallo arrived a month ago, Arthur Gnohere being his first partner in four games and Mark McGregor coming in when he was ineligible for the Cup clash with Grimsby.

But after Gnohere had his personal nightmare against Reading a week earlier, prompting his manager to send him home on compassionate leave, it was to the reliable Cox that Ternent turned, and his decision was rewarded big style.

"Coxy did have an injury," he explained. "Drissa Diallo came in, Mark McGregor has been playing well and we are reasonably strong in that department as we have got Steve Davis as well.

"But Coxy has been with us a long time, he has been with us for a promotion and two high finishes in the first division. He is tried and tested."

Ternent was however quick to stress that it was much more than a tale of two defenders.

"Coxy and Drissa played very well but it is unfair to single them out, it was a very, very good team performance," he said. "We defended really when we had to on a difficult pitch and as it turned out one goal was enough."

Key to the victory was the effort of Tony Grant and skipper Paul Cook in the middle of the park, both responding in the right way to anaemic displays last week.

Everyone else worked hard as well but it was the central defenders who shone and Cox certainly played like a man who is determined to keep his place in the side having got back into it after missing the last five games. At times he has not even been on the bench.

He is not one to rant and rave but his actions certainly spoke louder than words the message being: "Drop me now if you dare, gaffer!"

And for most of the match it was a toss-up between he and Diallo for who was the star man. In their first game together they looked as comfortable as Morecambe and Wise or Laurel and Hardy and they gave Clarets fans plenty of reasons to smile.

Dean Holdsworth may not be the force he once was but he barely had a look in as they snuffed him out of the game. They won everything in the air, timed their tackles superbly on the ground and helped to launch a number of attacks.

Two passes from Diallo to Robbie Blake in the second half were out of the top drawer, 50 yards and right on the button.

But in terms of defending there was nothing finer than the sliding challenge from Cox that halted McSheffrey as he bore down on goal.

Add to that the fact that he netted his first goal of the season with a glancing header from a superb Blake free kick and it is fair to say that he had a very good day. That comment applies to another man who has drifted to the fringe of the side having been a key figure at Burnley over the last couple of years, the Greek keeper Nik Michopoulos. But he showed what an important part of the squad he still is as he answered a late call to action as Marlon Beresford had another delivery to think about as opposed to crosses from Coventry.

"I got a phone call from Marlon at 10 this morning to say his wife was going into labour but Nik is a very capable deputy," said Ternent. "He made two or three good stops during the course of the game and he played extremely well."

He did not let Burnley down when he played against Ipswich and Grimsby last month with Beresford injured and, like Cox, he did his best to convince the manager he should still be in the side when they take on Fulham in the FA Cup next week.

His first key save came in the 17th minute, diving low to his left to turn away Gary McSheffrey's left foot drive but the best was saved till last, denying Gary McAllister as he shot low into the corner in the dying minutes.

It was a frantic finale as the home side piled on the pressure in stoppage time. Callum Davenport headed a free kick against the top of the bar and in the sixth minute of added time McSheffrey's shot from a tight angle hit the post.

The final whistle finally arrived with Burnley closing the gap between the two sides to just a couple of points with Burnley having a game in hand.

"I thought we deserved a point and certainly in the first half I had a good shout for a penalty," said Coventry player boss Gary McAllister. He certainly did his best to get his team going but they have still to record a league win since he won the manager of the month award for December.

This win was Burnley's first three-point haul of the year and a first away win since they beat Leicester City at the Walkers Stadium, something in the East Midlands air seems to agree with them.

COVENTRY 0

BURNLEY 1

Cox 35

Attendance: 13,659

At Highfield Road