SKIPPER Gordon Armstrong was delighted Burnley avoided an FA Cup hangover thanks to a tactical switch that overcame plucky Cardiff and lifted the Clarets up to fifth-place in Division Two.

Burnley's return to league duty following their cup shock at Derby looked set to end in disappointment when lowly Cardiff took a deserved lead.

But once the Clarets switched their formation and Armstrong rammed in the equaliser, they never looked back on their way to securing a 2-1 win.

"It's always nice to score and it was a decent goal," said Armstrong, who switched to a more central defensive role following Graham Branch's introduction in place of Dean West.

"They weren't a bad side, to be fair, and they started really well. They caused us a few problems and we had to change the system which luckily worked out for us," he added.

"They had a lad (Fowler) playing up with the front two who caused us a lot of problems early on but we sorted that out and overall we were that little bit stronger I think. "It was no reflection on Dean West but the gaffer wanted to change the system. It helped us in the game and showed again that we've got a strong squad."

Armstrong also paid tribute to Glen Little, who teed up Lenny Johnrose's second half winner, as Burnley continue to march on.

"I thought Glen was outstanding on the wing. He was sensational and you can't stop him when he's in that mood and he makes a big difference to a team.

"Obviously it was a great win last week and it was important to come out and make sure we had the same attitude that we had in the cup game and I think we showed that, even though we didn't start that well," Armstrong added.

Burnley now head into the holiday period at a Boxing Day clash at Bury with just one defeat in their last 10 League games.

"They are all important spells. We are going into games full of confidence and we don't fear anybody at the minute so hopefully we can get some more good results," said Armstrong, who left Bury to join the Clarets 16 months ago.

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