THE Second Division safety zone remains tantalisingly out of reach for Burnley boss Adrian Heath.

It still needs only a couple of significant steps, rather than major strides, before the new Turf Moor regime can stop looking over their shoulders at the dead men down below and begin to reshape the future.

But the fact remains that those steps must be taken by Burnley themselves. No-one else can do it for them.

And the anxiety and frustration that comes with the uncertainty was evident all around Turf Moor last night.

On the pitch, a first half display which offered hope for the future turned into a second half performance reminiscent of the past.

It was only the remarkable combined sending-off, "goal" and penalty incident in the last quarter of an hour that sparked both team and supporters back into life.

After wasting the chances to tempt a defensive-minded Bournemouth out of their shell before half time, Burnley looked like a drowning man with 14 minutes left.

They seemed to have gone under water for the third time, as goalkeeper Wayne Russell was sent off for a professional foul, Bournemouth had a "goal" disallowed but were still in pole position to score what would surely have been the winner as they were offered a penalty by an almost apologetic referee.

Suffice to say they missed it and Heath, understandably, reflected later on a stroke of luck that could turn out to be a watershed in a traumatic season.

For Burnley, who had to ask David Eyres to don the goalkeeper's shirt, that moment of drama turned out to be a case of what you lose on the swings, you gain on the roundabouts.

Though Bournemouth felt they were taken for a ride all round, as the referee decided they should have a penalty a split second before Steve Jones put the ball in the net. But the advantage rule, among other things, was not one of the referee's strong suits.

While the visitors seethed, they still had the opportunity to put things right from the penalty spot but Steve Robinson's shot struck a post and Eyres probably permitted himself a broad grin.

It was a let-off, no doubt about it. But Burnley too might have had cause for complaint.

Should Jones have been penalised for a foul in the first place as he jumped with Russell?

I sympathised with Heath's reading of the situation - that in today's game a similar challenge in most other situations would probably have produced a Burnley free kick.

And was Russell the last man? Peter Swan had just cleared Robinson's shot off the line and may well have been able to make another challenge. If so, the card might have been yellow.

It seemed to be a case of many wrongs, but it turned out all right for Burnley. In fact, the incident - as often happens - stirred them from their second half stupor and Kurt Nogan, who had gone right off the boil like most of his team-mates, almost snatched victory from a late half chance.

The manager could be pleased with several aspects of the first half, but not the finishing.

His team tried to play the right way, had a few openings but wasted the best two.

Bournemouth came to tie Burnley down, employing two tight markers on Nogan and loan man Paul Mahorn, making his first full appearance, with former Turf Moor boss Frank Casper's son Chris sweeping.

But the strikers worked hard in the first half to free themselves from the shackles of their markers and both should have been on the scoresheet.

Nogan had an early opportunity when a free kick picked him out in the penalty area. Unchallenged and close in on goal, he was thwarted by a brilliant save from Jimmy Glass - an ex-Burnley man himself - but the keeper should not have had the opportunity to produce heroics.

Mahorn's chance came from the best move of the half, as hard-working Gerry Harrison found Nogan, he swept the ball out to Paul Weller on the right and an excellent cross left the striker free.

Good in the air, Mahorn seemed to have produced the perfect header but it was too high when the target should have been struck, as he admitted afterwards.

There were other long-range efforts but those were the ideal openings to settle the nerves.

Bournemouth only rarely threatened but they did strike the woodwork through a Jones header at the far post from a cross by the player who gave Gary Parkinson something of a chasing.

Number 11 Jason Brissett looked the likeliest man on the pitch to produce a shock and Weller had to fall back to help whenever he could.

The second half showed just how frustrated Burnley and their supporters in a subdued atmosphere had become.

Mahorn produced a good header early in the second half but the visitors were beginning to look slightly more menacing, with Swan making a goal-line clearance from Owen Coll.

To be honest, there were few signs of a goal from anywhere. Burnley passes began to go astray with increasing regularity, Nogan and Mahorn, lacking service, struggled to find space and it looked like deadlock.

But then, on 76 minutes, Jones chased yet another hump upfield and challenged Russell for the high ball on the edge of the penalty area.

It seemed a fair shout for a foul but there was no whistle, Jones got away, seemed to be fouled by the keeper and the ball ran to Robinson. His shot was blocked, and with the referee pointing to the penalty spot for another foul by Russell on Jones, the striker hit the rebound into the net!

Chaos ruled.

Eyres went between the posts, Robinson struck the post to the deputy keeper's right from the penalty spot, Burnley survived and, out of adversity, the 10 men nearly snatched victory.

There were a couple of half chances while Bournemouth never really troubled Eyres who showed plenty of composure when required.

The victory they wanted, maybe needed, eluded Heath's team once again. But, in the circumstances, he was probably grateful for the point.

Burnley will look back with regret on the spurned opportunities of the first half and with a large sense of relief on the great escape of the second.

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