Revenge is sweet

Burnley 2

Johnrose 23 mins, Payton 61 mins

Barnsley 1

Hayward 77 mins

REVENGE, they say, is a dish best served cold.

And on a day when the under-soil heating at Turf Moor came into it's own, the Clarets made the most of the chance to reverse their Boxing Day defeat at Barnsley.

The change in fortunes could hardly have been greater for three of the leading characters in the two-part drama.

Chris Morgan, who scored Barnsley's last-gasp winner at Christmas, was sent off for nudging Ian Moore to the ground when the Burnley striker raced clear on goal after almost an hour.

And Lennie Johnrose and Nik Michopoulos, who got themselves in a pickle to hand Morgan his moment of glory at Oakwell, fully redeemed themselves here with match-winning contributions.

Johnrose headed Burnley's 23rd-minute opener as part of an impressive all-round display, while Michopoulos clinched the Clarets' first League win in seven attempts with a superb injury-time save from Isiah Rankin.

The stage had been set for Andy Payton to take the plaudits as he made the 400th starting appearance of his Football League career.

And the striker didn't disappoint by heading home his 194th League goal a couple of minutes after Morgan's departure to give Burnley a seemingly unassailable 2-0 lead.

However, Steve Hayward's 77th-minute piledriver threatened to re-write the script in a nervy ending and Payton had no hesitation in handing the bouquets Michopoulos's way after the big keeper had stopped a near certain equaliser from Rankin with virtually the last kick of the match.

"The one at the end was a great save," said Payton. "There would have been uproar I think if that one had gone in but luckily he saved it and we were just glad to get the points and get in the dressing room.

"He's done well for us and he's won the three points for us. He's a good keeper, to displace Crichts as he has done. He's an international keeper and he's proving it."

The foreign transfer market can be a hit-and-miss affair. Just ask Sir Alex Ferguson, who invested £4.5 million on Italian goalkeeper Massimo Taibi last season.

Burnley manager Stan Ternent also suffered frustrations last week when he realised that there would be no work permit forthcoming for Toulouse striker Eugene Dadi.

But in Michopoulos, Ternent has come up trumps. Having got over a dodgy December the former PAOK Salonika number one has now made vital late saves in each of last three games and this first win since early December should banish all sorts of demons from Turf Moor.

The Clarets had rarely been outplayed during their winless streak but there's no substitute for putting points on the board and having gone through the 40-point barrier and back up to ninth in the table, Burnley can look forward to their FA Cup commitments with some satisfaction.

"Other than against Preston the lads have played reasonably well and never had a break. So it was very welcome that Nik made the save at the end and we got a break. That's important to us," confirmed Ternent, who felt that the late outbreak of jitters was understandable in the circumstances.

"The result was very important to us, to get the three points, but I felt we were a little anxious towards the end and I think that comes because we haven't won for quite a long time and that shows," he added.

"It could have been a lot more comfortable. There are ways of closing sides out and we were a little anxious towards the end in trying to get the three points. But all's well that ends well and I think we thoroughly deserved to win the match."

Burnley certainly showed signs of nerves both at the beginning, when Michopoulos had to save well from Rankin and Lee Jones, and late on.

But regaining the winning feeling was paramount and there were positive signs of a more lasting recovery.

It was no coincidence that the long wait was ended with Kevin Ball's return to the starting line-up, while Burnley were more threatening in attack than they have been for a while.

Moore's pace not only brought Morgan's red card but caused problems for Barnsley all afternoon, while he and Payton looked like a genuine partnership.

Burnley looked a different side once Johnrose had headed them in front from a Paul Cook corner and they were unlucky not to go two up when Moore glanced a Cook free-kick against the inside of a post.

Ian Cox, Payton and Steve Davis all went close either side of half-time, while Graham Branch should have made more of a couple of inviting openings as Burnley attacked impressively.

Barnsley were no slouches either but Rankin missed another golden opportunity before Payton punished his former club by nodding home at the second attempt to give Burnley the breathing space they ultimately required.

"It was a bit nervy at the end, to say the least. But we've got four points from two games and I think we're back on the road now," insisted the prolific striker.

"I was just delighted to get back on the scoresheet again. I remember scoring a goal for them here against Burnley a few years ago so I suppose it was nice to redress that. But the main thing is that we got the points."