SAM Vokes hit a perfect 10 for the season so far to keep the Clarets in second spot.

Having seen a host of chances pass them by, Burnley must have wondered where their goal was coming from.

But no sooner had Middlesbrough taken the lead at home to Cardiff City, 2-1, to go back above Sean Dyche’s men in the ‘As It Stands’ table, than Burnley got their breakthrough to keep their grip on it.

Andre Gray had squandered first half opportunities, but did not miss the chance to play in Stephen Ward high up the pitch.

The left back cut back from the byeline, George Boyd dummied, and in-form Vokes sidefooted past Dorus De Vries for his 10th of the season, second in four days and sixth in nine games.

Forest argued that the ball had gone out of play before Ward completed the cross.

But there was no arguing that Burnley had done enough to warrant a 1-0 lead, certainly going off their first half performance.

The Clarets set a high tempo from the start, resulting in a first minute chance for Stephen Ward on the overlap with Scott Arfield.

The left back received the Scot’s smart backheel flick and delivered a teasing first time ball into the six-yard box. It had goalkeeper Dorus de Vries at sixes and sevens to concede a corner, from which David Jones’ high delivery was attacked at the far left post and quickly led to another.

Joey Barton caused further problems in the Forest box with a free kick following Robert Tesche’s trip on a sprinting Stephen Ward, but as Sam Vokes and Andre Gray both attacked the delivery, Vokes got his head to it six yards out but couldn’t keep it down.

Forest moved up the pitch quickly, where David Vaughan ended the move with a wayward shot.

But it was a relatively rare sight at goal for the visitors compared to Burnley.

After displaying some long range passing Barton then went for a long range shot, but it was well off target. Gray tried to intercept and shoot himself, but didn’t make a connection and there was a strong chance he would have been offside if he had.

It was all Burnley, who were dominant in possession.

The ball was fed through the middle from Ben Mee to Barton, on to Jones then Arfield before ending with Gray, whose shot on the turn was blocked by Michael Mancienne.

Forest struggled to clear a Barton corner and Gray almosts turned the ball in with a waist high back flick for what would have been a spectacular goal.

He would have settled for one off his backside in the end. As, after Jamie Ward shot straight at Tom Heaton, then Tesche fired wide from 20 yards after having space to run into, Gray had a shot blocked having turned his marker twice to shoot from a tight angle.

Lone Forest striker Nelson Oliveira spent most of his time chasing the ball along a back four that included James Tarkowski on his full debut, with Michael Keane ruled out with a head injury.

But still Burnley could not make their dominance count.

Vokes had the chance of the half when the rampaging Ward put Eric Lichaj on his backside and picked out the striker at the near post, but the striker’s finish got the slightest deflection wide.

The Clarets remained in the ascendency up to the break, with the impressive David Jones twice testing De Vries on the stroke of half-time - first with a long range volley that stung the keeper’s hands, quickly followed by a a drive from similar distance, under encouragement to shoot from the Clarets fans. But it was matched with a one-handed save, while Gray’s follow-up was blazed over.

Forest came out with more fire, and forced a succession of corners early in the second half.

Burnley, in contrast, struggled to match the tone of the first half and breathed a sigh of relief when Jamie Ward received the ball on the edge of the box and fired over.

The Clarets were ultimately rewarded for their first half endeavours in the 67th minute.

Gray looked to add to it and make for a more comfortable finale, but dragged wide.

A back four as resilient as Burnley’s - five including captain Heaton in the Clarets goal - meant it was enough to earn the victory, however, and a fourth straight clean sheet, and a 10th league game unbeaten.