ONE of the oldest laws of nature relates to the survival of the fittest and if that is good enough for the jungle, it is certainly good enough for the FA Cup.

For 75 minutes Ryman League leaders Canvey Island worked their socks off, produced some lovely football and made sure that the Clarets did not have an armchair ride into the fourth round.

They even had the temerity to score a beautifully worked goal to get back into the game at 2-1, surviving the potentially fatal blow of a goal on the stroke of half time to give Burnley a two goal cushion.

But having been firing on all cylinders from the first whistle it was almost inevitable that they would run out of steam in the latter stages. The home side's hero Ian Moore completed his hat-trick and even more chances were created and wasted as the gulf in class and fitness finally told.

Lee Boylan's excellent goal in the 67th minute was just what Canvey boss Jeff King had called for after the hammer blown of seeing Moore head home Glen Little's free kick in the 45th minute.

It had been Little who had given Burnley the lead after good work by Moore down the right and the failure of Steve Ward to clear his low cross.

At half-time the chance of a shock looked as likely as the Tories embracing the Euro but King said: "I just told them to keep going and if we could get a goal they might wobble.

"We got the goal, which I thought was the best one of the game, but we left gaps chasing the game and you can't do that against players of this experience and calibre. They are used to playing at that pace."

And in the end it was pace, power and no little talent that told as the chance of a dramatic comeback was ended by Moore's second goal 12 minutes from time.

Arthur Gnohere won the ball and continued to run upfield where he won it again after Lee Briscoe's long ball forward. He then slid a simple pass through to Moore who produced a curled shot beyond the diving Ashley Harrison.

If proof was needed that fitness has more to do with being a full time professional than young and enthusiastic it came five minutes later as 37-years-young Kevin Ball burst beyond the offside trap and produced a great cross that sub Dimitri Papadopoulos nodded back to Moore who slammed the ball home to score his first hat-trick for the club.

The young Greek striker then wasted a great chance to score his first goal for the club's first team when he was clear on goal in the last minute but failed to convert. Then seconds later Harrison denied him with a great save when he made a better fist of a far harder chance.

All that remained was for the Canvey players and management team to leave the field to a well earned ovation from the majority of the 11,496 crowd who had stayed behind to applaud them off.

This was not a question of patronising some plucky non-Leaguers who had given their all in vain, the fans were praising them and recognising that they had played a major part in an entertaining game.

They did not try and kick lumps out of the Clarets, they passed the ball with confidence from front to back and showed why they came into the game on the back of a run of 26 wins and one draw from 27 games. It is no wonder weaker opponents have been beaten with such monotonous regularity.

King was clearly relishing his final moments in the national spotlight and he was also obviously moved by the reaction of the fans at the final whistle.

"It was very moving at the end to get cheered off by both sets of fans," he said. "I thought our fans were excellent, all those who had travelled up."

It was not just the home fans who appreciated the Gulls contribution as Burnley boss Stan Ternent said: "I thought Canvey were terrific, a credit to their manager and Glenn Pennyfather, who played for me at Palace. He is a cracking lad.

"Dagenham and Redbridge won their league a couple of years ago and they are no mugs. It doesn't matter what level you play at, you don't go 27 matches unbeaten without being able to play."

The Cup win was the perfect tonic for the Clarets after losing at Manchester City a week earlier and the frustration of having the New Year's Day game against Bradford called off.

And it offered Paul Cook the chance to restart his Clarets career just over a month after he appeared on his way out having been loaned to second division, one of the two league sides beaten by Canvey during their FA Cup run.

At the time Burnley fans were upset they bad not had the chance to thank him for his efforts in the past couple of seasons and he got a great reception when he replaced the injured Little in the second half.

He immediately looked as if he had never been away, finding colleagues with simple passes, and his presence in the squad will be important in the next few weeks as the promotion push continues.

A place in the top two remains the number one target for Ternent but there is no doubt that a good Cup run can be a help as much as a hindrance.

Canvey, clear at the top of the Ryman League are living proof of that.

RESULT:

BURNLEY...4

Scorers: Little 24, Moore 45, 78, 83

CANVEY ISLAND...1

Scorer: Boylan 67

Attendance...11,496

At Turf Moor

Get all of Burnleys match facts and reports...click here.