Bourne again! Victory sends Clarets to the top

NO championship medals are handed out in September.

But being top of the table sure beats being at the bottom at any time of the season.

And no-one who watched Burnley collect their most impressive win of the season would argue with the Clarets' right to be leading the Second Division going into the start of play today.

The good times have been so scarce at Turf Moor in recent years that such lofty status even after just six games will have been a source of great celebration among the Clarets faithful last night.

But this may well prove than just a quick flirtation with the promotion places, even if Luton or Bristol Rovers were able to knock Burnley off their perch this afternoon.

The Clarets have been on an upward curve since the spring and there are no signs of it levelling off yet.

One defeat in 16 games tells much of the story, but this win over a Bournemouth side rated among the best in the division provided arguably the most telling evidence yet that Stan Ternent has assembled a squad capable of staying the pace.

Admittedly the Cherries are stuck in a disastrous run of away form and were missing two midfield men on international duty.

But they still fielded a back four and a front pair many managers in Division Two would gladly have at his disposal.

Not so Stan Ternent, however, and the faith he has shown in his players is now being repaid.

Burnley outplayed the visitors throughout and anything other than the win delivered by Steve Davis's 63rd-minute goal would have been an injustice. Apart from a costly lapse in concentration which allowed Mark Stein to instantly cancel out Graham Branch's first goal at Turf Moor, the Clarets defence was rock-solid and suffered few of the anxious late moments that marked Burnley's previous three League wins this season.

Up front, Branch had one of his best games for the club alongside the razor-sharp Andy Payton as they caused the highly-rated pair of Ian Cox and Eddie Howe plenty of problems.

And in midfield, the Clarets were in a different league to their opponents.

Micky Mellon continued his emergence as a key figure and Paul Cook stamped his class and authority on proceedings from the word go.

But perhaps the most encouraging aspect of an uplifting evening was the return to his best form for Glen Little.

Yet to fire on all cylinders and not an automatic choice in the opening games, Little turned in a breath-taking performance which will hopefully see all his old confidence come flooding back and confirm him as an integral part of the Clarets line-up.

It was no coincidence that Burnley produced their best football of the season at the same time as he did as he bamboozled a Bournemouth side that employed two and sometimes three players to try and keep Little quiet in the second half. Not that this was a one-man show from Burnley. Far from it. And with football now seemingly such a squad game, Burnley look well equipped.

To be without Andy Cooke and John Mullin and still have Ronnie Jepson, Chris Brass, Tom Cowan, Mark Robertson and Lenny Johnrose on the bench shows that the Clarets mean business.

By the time it's next as warm at Turf Moor as it was last night, that strength-in-depth may have reaped the rewards that are on offer in May and not September.

Ternent recalled the fit-again Davis and Paul Smith and Burnley wasted no time in getting the disappointment of their defeat at Bristol Rovers out of their systems as they sprayed the ball about with great style.

Only the accuracy of the final ball was lacking until Dean West delivered a teasing cross for Payton which he headed just the wrong side of the post at full-stretch.

Mellon blazed a shot just wide as Little and Smith teased Bournemouth down the flanks and Cook and Payton stretched them up the middle.

But the lead Burnley deserved for their enterprise finally came six minutes before half-time when Payton's hard work allied to Little's pinpoint cross allowed Branch to dive and head home a goal that could work wonders for a player still striving to fulfil his potential. Disaster followed delight, however, as Burnley were caught sleeping within 60 seconds and the completely unmarked Stein poked home the equaliser.

But that barely disrupted the Clarets flow as Little continued to sparkle after half-time and Mellon became a greater influence.

When the pair combined at the end of a flowing move, Mellon was just a fraction of a second late in meeting Little's cross when glory beckoned.

The winner was not long in coming though and it was Davis, whose raking pass to Smith won Burnley the decisive free-kick, who produced it when he climbed to meet Cook's deep set-piece and head powerfully home.

Bournemouth briefly threatened to deliver a repeat counter-punch but Paul Crichton saved bravely at the feet of loan signing Kevin Betsy, who posed a fresh threat to the Clarets until Tom Cowan came on to help nip it in the bud.

And with Mitchell Thomas outstanding Burnley remained in control, going close to extending their lead when Payton ran half the length of the pitch and lacked only the power to beat Mark Ovendale.

Thomas snuffed out the one piece of late danger with a brilliant tackle on John O'Neill, and while their current tenure at the top might have come under threat today, don't count on Burnley not claiming poll position again.

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