BURNLEY edged a point closer to securing their Premier League future after a hard fought draw with Middlesbrough.

The home side had the greater need for three points in the Teesside sunshine but they were unable to break a determined Clarets rearguard, led by the magnificent Stephen Ward.

And although Burnley had chances to end their wait for a first away win of the campaign they will be happy with a point that extends their advantage over the bottom three to eight points with six games to go.

Burnley were a whisker away from taking the lead on 13 minutes. Ashley Barnes won a free-kick in an aerial duel with Daniel Ayala and from 22-yards Robbie Brady’s effort clipped the crossbar on its way over.

While Boro were seeing a lot of the ball they were getting little joy offensively and it was the Clarets who looked more dangerous when they ventured forward, and George Boyd should have done better when he sent a shot high and wide of the goal from inside the area after controlling Matt Lowton’s cross.

For all Middlesbrough’s territory Tom Heaton enjoyed an untroubled first half, with Antonio Barragan seeing a shot blocked while Daniel Ayala drilled Grant Leadbitter’s free-kick back across goal, but Cristhian Stuani couldn’t connect to turn it home.

Boro started the second half brightly, with Michael Keane forced to clear a volley across goal from Stewart Downing, who had found space in the area, before Heaton got across to comfortably collect  Rudy Gestede’s header from  the resulting corner.

It was the Clarets who continued to create the better chances and a composed passing move should have ended with Brady putting them ahead 10 minutes into the second half.

Jeff Hendrick’s low pass sent Stephen Ward away down the left and he skipped past Barragan and cut the ball back, with Barnes stepping over it before Brady ran on and curled a left-footed shot wide from 18 yards.

The hosts were in dire need of the points and Alvaro Negredo almost made an instant impact off the bench. He drifted behind Keane to find space for a spectacular overhead kick from Downing’s cross which looked goalbound until a magnificent one-handed save from Heaton, who got down low to his left.

The game was wide open now but Ward was continuing to be Burnley’s best outlet. He again went by Barragan before his low cross reached Sam Vokes, on for Andre Gray, six-yards out, but his shot on the turn was blocked by Bernardo, before Brady clipped a free-kick from 20 yards onto the roof of the net a minute later.

With time running out Middlesbrough were going for broke and Matt Lowton headed Downing’s free-kick off the line before then clearing Ayala’s header off the line from the resulting corner, and that secured the point for the Clarets.