IF EVER a club needed to hear that starter pistol it was Burnley.

Short on numbers and down on luck after two false starts, getting out of the blocks was all that mattered against unbeaten Coventry.

So to transform that mounting pressure into the biggest home win for two years was a weight off everyone's shoulders as the season slowly gets into its stride.

So what if Coventry were down to ten men for 47 minutes of an exhilarating afternoon at Turf Moor?

Because by the time City skipper Stephen Hughes gave referee Nigel Miller the ideal opportunity to implement the new FA clampdown on abusing officials, the Clarets were already two goals to the good and coasting.

Garreth O'Connor started the party with a blistering finish in the 28th minute and Wayne Thomas celebrated another first by opening his own account for the club nine minutes later.

Gifton Noel-Williams' penalty miss and a whole host of gilt-edged chances could have put Coventry out of sight before supporters had time to catch their breath.

But the irrepressible Ade Akinbiyi finally gave the scoreline a more realistic slant with two late goals to take his tally in Burnley colours to seven in just 12 starts.

It all added up to the first four-goal haul achieved during Cotterill's managerial reign and the biggest victory on home soil since Bradford City were thumped by the same score back in September 2003.

The first clean sheet of the season was the cherry on top of the cake, as towering centre backs John McGreal and Wayne Thomas helped to repel City's pacy and powerful strike force.

A mention too for Michael Duff, making a first start of the season at right back and showing no reaction to his knee injury in an eye-catching display.

But it was further up the field where Burnley really put City to the sword.

The midfield provided great momentum, putting to one side the early disappointment of losing winger Wade Elliott to an ankle injury to collectively carry the game to the Sky Blues.

Micah Hyde, in particular, has hit the ground running this season and after being arguably the best performer against Crewe and Sheffield United, he found yet another gear to boss the engine room.

Garreth O'Connor, meanwhile, is still a midfielder learning to spread his wings after arriving from League One Bournemouth in the summer.

But the Dubliner emerged from his chrysalis with flying colours, capping his best performance in a Burnley shirt by some distance with a stunning strike.

The Clarets looked like they meant business straight from the kick off and Thomas set his sights with a firm header from O'Connor's precision corner.

Hyde then tested City keeper Stephen Bywater from 12 yards after Akinbiyi crossed and hard-working debutant Chris McCann - on for Elliott - teed-up the chance.

But Bywater was left grasping at thin air just before the half hour when Burnley finally made the all-important breakthrough.

Hyde, who had a hand in everything, fed Noel-Williams, who in turn slid the ball into Akinbiyi on the edge of the area.

O'Connor screamed for the ball to be rolled back and when Akinbiyi read the script, the Irishman smashed the ball home to build on his pre-season strike against PAOK Salonika.

Hughes drilled a terrific free kick just wide and dangerman Gary McSheffrey clipped the Clarets crossbar from distance as City briefly looked for some spark.

But eight minutes before the break, Thomas smartly lost marker Robert Page to power home a header from another O'Connor corner and double the lead.

Bad became worse for the visitors minutes later when Page was harshly penalised for tugging Noel-Williams in the area and Hughes saw red for objecting to the penalty decision.

The irony to Hughes' four-letter rant was that Noel-Williams stepped up to balloon his spot kick into the Cricket Field Stand.

However, the real damage had been done and that horrendous miss should have proved inconsequential as City found themselves at sixes and sevens for the rest of the half.

Their only saving grace was they didn't find themselves trailing by six or seven!

Bywater soon got down well to hold O'Connor's piledriver, but namesake James should have hit the target seconds later after creating an opening in the box.

Then, in stoppage time, Akinbiyi brilliantly slipped the shackles of Page but lobbed the ball gently into Bywater's arms when attempting to chip the stranded keeper.

James Scowcroft halted the one-way traffic momentarily, thumping a header against the angle of bar and post in a frantic end to a whirlwind half.

But that was the last chance saloon for Micky Adams' men, who faced another Burnley barrage after the break.

Akinbiyi screwed a shot wide before scraping the post with another effort from 18 yards.

Teenage starlet McCann, who will have enjoyed his lively debut on the left side of midfield, was also inches away from a dream goal with a skidding low effort from a cleverly worked free kick

And when Bywater smuggled Akinbiyi's goalbound effort round the post late in the game, the rampant Clarets striker looked like being denied a deserved goal.

But the big man was not to be denied and three minutes from time a marvellous sweeping move that involved seven outfield players ended with Noel-Williams feeding his former Stoke City strike partner.

As chances go, it was arguably Akinbiyi's most difficult, but he pounced and gave Bywater no chance with a rasping drive into the bottom corner.

And there was still time for Akinbiyi to complete the rout, gobbling up a great ball into the six yard box by substitute Kyle Lafferty to end a perfect day.

COVENTRY: Bywater, Duffy, Page, Heath, Hall, McSheffrey (Williams 71), Doyle, Hughes, Scowcroft, John (Jorgensen 44), Adebola (Morrell 76).

Subs not used: Wood, Ince.

GOALS: G O'Connor 28, Thomas 37, Akinbiyi 87, 90.

REF: N Miller: 4

BOOKINGS: none

SENT OFF: Hughes 43

ATT: 11,683