BY about 4.50pm on Saturday, the situation was beginning to look a little bit bleak.

Aston Villa’s dismantling of a feeble Sunderland side had seen them leapfrog Gus Poyet’s shambolic outfit and leave Burnley four points adrift of safety.

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Oh, and the reigning Premier League champions were waiting in the wings, hoping to steamroller us and close the gap on Chelsea at the top.

The Clarets might not have been quite at the stage where the priest needed to come and administer the last rites, but his number was on speed-dial just in case.

Needing to close the gap that had opened up, and confronted by a side with a spine of Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero, Sean Dyche’s men needed a miracle.

Happily, George Boyd was on hand.

Well, I suppose he does look a bit like Jesus after all...

Boyd’s sumptuous and perfectly executed half-volley garnered all the headlines, yet this famous, deserved and much-needed victory was about so much more.

It has become something of a cliché to talk about Burnley’s work-rate, yet when the goalscorer covers 13.5 kilometres and half a dozen of his team-mates run beyond the 11 kilometre mark, it merits mention.

This is a team which, literally, goes the extra mile for one another.

In the middle of the park, meanwhile, there was an outstanding performance from chief string-puller, David Jones, and further evidence that Scott Arfield is becoming more comfortable in his new role in the centre of the midfield.

Equally praiseworthy were the efforts of two returning players at opposite ends of the pitch.

After a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Michael Duff was a key part of a defence which did wonderfully well to see off the considerable attacking threat posed by Aguero, Edin Dzeko, David Silva, Jesus Navas and Wilfried Bony.

Sam Vokes, meanwhile – making his first ever Premier League start – was a considerable physical presence.

He got better and better as the game went on and he found something close to his old rhythm.

It’s difficult to overstate the importance of claiming such a prized scalp.

Not only did it keep us in touch with the relegation fight, the momentum and confidence brought on by the success can only be good for the players.

The fixture list does us no favours. Saturday’s trip to Southampton is followed by visit from Spurs and Arsenal.

Yet having outdone the most expensively assembled squad in the league, no opponent should hold any fear for Sean Dyche’s men.