Burnley 4 Macclesfield Town 3 - Pete Oliver's big match verdict

STEVE Davis does know what it's like to win at Turf Moor thanks to his previous incarnation as a Burnley player.

But those fading memories needed rekindling and he couldn't have chosen a better time to familiarise himself with the feeling again than in the final minute of a thrilling relegation clash.

Having fought back from 2-0 and 3-2 down to level the scores through Andy Payton, the Clarets had laid siege to the Macclesfield goal in an effort to repair early damage and give some real momentum to their escape bid.

And their persistence and endeavour finally paid off 45 seconds from the end when Davis - whose two wins since he returned to the Clarets have both been away from home - rose majestically to head home the winner from Micky Mellon's corner via the right hand of Ryan Price and the inside of the post.

Turf Moor duly erupted, Stan Ternent jigged on the pitch and Sam Ellis sprinted so far from the dug-out to get across the message that the Silkmen simply couldn't be allowed to score again that he almost joined Burnley's back four.

It was heart-pounding stuff and this with nine games still to go in the relegation race.

That run-in would have looked like running a marathon through quick-sand if Burnley had lost for the sixth time in seven home games to a Macclesfield side that occupied bottom slot despite three straight wins.

And at 2-0 down with just 14 minutes gone the unthinkable was staring Burnley squarely in the face.

Crucially, though, Macclesfield held their two-goal advantage for just two minutes as a blunder by Price let in Glen Little for a goal that had telling consequences for both sides. Despite their continued failings in defence, Burnley never looked back from that point as they carved out chance after chance in an edge-of-the-seat kind of performance that laughed in the face of a recent record of one goal in five games.

Those that thought there would be some dour afternoons to endure at Turf Moor this season could hardly have been more wrong with the goals flying in at the moment.

But whereas the Clarets have previously been on the receiving end, this time they served up a Sunday lunch-time goal feast of their own.

And the fans that will be paying more for their season tickets this summer will more gladly part with the cash if this is the type of attacking football they can look forward to.

In reality Ternent will be happy to tone it down in return for a few more less stressful victories.

But for now the only priority was to end an eight-game winless run by taking maximum points at home for the first time in exactly eight months.

That duly accomplished, albeit by the skins of their teeth, Burnley have finally given themselves some sound foundations in the shape of points from which to push on and secure their Second Division status. And there were some other important hurdles cleared as well before Davis clinched the points in the most dramatic fashion possible to lift Burnley out of the bottom four.

Little added only his second goal of the campaign - both of which have come against Macclesfield - before Cowan notched the first of what could be many for the Clarets if his welcome stay is extended beyond the remainder of the season.

But no matter how many more times he scores in the future, the little full-back won't get a better goal than the one that made it 2-2 after 57 minutes.

Having seen efforts cleared off the line and rebound off the bar in the first-half, it was third time lucky for Cowan when he flashed home a brilliant scissor-kick from several feet above the penalty spot. And Payton made the day complete by ending his own personal goal drought with another equaliser which his performance merited with an opportunist strike 12 minutes from time to set the stage for Davis.

As Ternent said afterwards, it was a case of all's well that end's well for the Clarets who lived life on the edge before claiming a thoroughly deserved success.

The home side were stunned after just eight minutes when a miscalculation by Cowan allowed the impressive Kieron Durkan to lob Macclesfield ahead.

And after Cowan's attempts to make amends had been thwarted by Steve Hitchin's goalline clearance, the visitors went two up when John Askew punished a static defence to prod home the loose ball following Paul Crichton's save.

The game then swung on Price's blunder as he dropped Graham Branch's cross and Little pounced to force the ball over the line. And it was one-way traffic for the next half-an-hour as Cowan hit the bar, Branch spurned a chance, Ally Pickering headed just wide and Payton did everything but score either side of the break.

The agony was finally ended when Cowan's party-piece pierced Town's resistance but after Davis had fired wide Burnley's ability to self destruct surfaced again when Durkan restored Macclesfield's lead when following up an Askew header that hit the bar.

Panic then ensued in the Burnley ranks and it took a match-saving block from the admirable Crichton to restore some calm and give Payton the chance to get off the 17-mark for the season and make it 3-3.

Having pulled the game out of the fire again this time Burnley didn't let go, although misses by Cowan and Lenny Johnrose took it to the wire before Davis had the final word.

It was lucky 13 for the season for Burnley's record buy who may have struck a crucial blow towards ensuring that he won't be the most expensive player in the Third Division next season.

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