Clarets pray for dragon's fire in final promotion push

IT'S a pity the daffodil season is as good as over or Burnley's florists could have made a killing this week.

With the promotion race in its final straight, there will be honorary Welshmen popping up all over town as the Clarets' fans pray for the dragon to breathe its fire one more time.

Wrexham and former Turf Moor favourite Bryan Flynn did Burnley proud on Saturday as they beat Wigan 1-0 to allow the Clarets, confident winners over Cambridge, to climb into second place.

Next it's the turn of Cardiff to have a say in the promotion scramble as they head for Gillingham tomorrow night, at the same time trying to save their skins at the other end of the table.

And should the Gills' continue their remarkable run at Cardiff's expense, then Flynn's Wrexham will again be lying in wait at the Racecourse Ground on the final day of the season.

Dropped points in either engagement for Gillingham coupled with a Burnley victory at Scunthorpe will mean promotion for Stan Ternent's men, and no-one else can do anything about it.

Whatever happens now, Burnley have taken their challenge to the last day of the season and guaranteed a play-off spot -- a magnificent achievement after recent years of struggle against the drop.

The Clarets have never been out of the top six all season and bar their home defeat to Gillingham last month have timed their run for second place behind champions Preston to perfection.

Six wins in seven games has left everyone except the Gills trailing in their wake and after the high drama of recent successes, Saturday's equally vital win was a routine, thoroughly professional affair. "In the first half we were fine. In the second half we sat back off it a little, but to be fair we were comfortable. We had a clean sheet and won comfortably 2-0," said boss Ternent.

Burnley did the job in the opening 45 minutes when Cambridge were outplayed once John Hansen had passed up a decent opportunity by slicing horribly wide.

"I think our superiority in the first-half reflected 2-0 at half-time," added the manager, who had recalled Dean West in place of Ian Cox to stick with his recently preferred 4-4-2 line-up, meaning no place in the starting line-up for Glen Little.

John Mullin had another excellent game, initially on the right flank, and Micky Mellon justified his place with one of his best performances for the club as the Clarets flowed smoothly forward early on.

Once again, though, it was Andy Payton who provided the cutting edge.

The prolific striker is enjoying a vintage season but even by his standards the first of his two goals after 14 minutes was a bit special.

Collecting a flick-on from Steve Davis, Payton turned magnificently past Martin McNeill with a lovely drag-back and without pausing flashed an angled left foot shot past a startled Lionel Perez.

The Frenchman had thwarted Burnley on his last visit to Turf Moor with Scu

nthorpe last October.

This time though he looked mortal as Payton removed any collective nerves in the blink of an eye.

"Andy did what he does best, he scores goals. "His first goal was sensational, that was right out the top drawer," Ternent enthused.

Paul Crichton was called into his one meaningful piece of action when tipping away a Paul Wanless header at full stretch shortly after but it was Burnley who posed the threat as they punched holes in the U's defence at regular intervals.

Mullin volleyed wide when well placed but the decisive second goal arrived after 32 minutes.

Again Paul Cook was involved as he picked out Mitchell Thomas following a quick free-kick.

Thomas's header was met by Andy Cooke who nodded against the post and when the ball ran across the face of goal, Payton rolled in number 27 for the season.

With Davis shackling top-scorer Trevor Benjamin and Thomas teaching young Cambridge striker Zema Abbey a few lessons alongside him, that was always likely to be enough for Burnley.

And so it proved in an uninspired second half.

Hansen tried his luck a couple of times and Benjamin once went close as the Clarets conceded possession too easily at times.

But Crichton never dirtied his gloves while at the other end a dropped cross by Perez almost gifted Little a third for the hosts.

Mullin also went close late on but for once the result wasn't in doubt until the final moments.

The only thing up in the air now is promotion itself. And Burnley have given themselves every chance of achieving it -- with a little help from the Welsh.