IT'S usually the cricketers at Turf Moor that lap up the applause when they reach a half century.

But it was the footballers who marched proudly back to the pavilion last night as Burnley hit the 50-point mark and edged closer to another innings in the First Division.

Graham Branch held his bat the highest, scoring one goal and forcing another as his team delivered a defiant message to those notorious Wimbledon sledgers: "We're not going down with you."

But as last night's grim weather was only too keen to remind us, now is not the time to be talking about summer sports and holidays - and the honeymoon period certainly hasn't started yet for the Clarets, even if they do have one foot over the threshold.

Although 50 points has been enough for survival in all but two of the years since the new First Division was created in tandem with the Premiership, it's not likely to be as comfortable a cushion this time around.

However, the significance of it for Burnley last night was only too poignant. They entered the game three short of 50 and still hovering beneath that total at the end of it would have been unthinkable.

So it was painfully clear that it wasn't the quality of the game, only the result, that mattered. A fact of life when you're not safe from the drop in late April.

Branch sensed those relegation butterflies swarming around the ground and caught them in the net before they became too much of a nuisance.

An emergency striker, by definition, should always be called on in a crisis and Branch's 25th minute header was the ideal way to rush to his team's aid because, until then, the fact that they needed the points far more than their doomed opponents was all too obvious.

The skipper then chased a long ball on the stroke of half-time and caused enough panic for Harry Ntimban-Zeh to nod the ball into his own net and give the Clarets a nice gift to take into the dressing room.

As well as Branch winning pretty much everything in the air, there can be few more encouraging signs that Burnley can complete the survival job than the way Lenny Johnrose stepped in so seamlessly for his first start.

Branch and Johnrose are the respective short term replacements for Ian Moore and Tony Grant and their performances suggested something Ternent hasn't had the luxury of all season - squad strength.

This might be overstating the situation somewhat, considering that young Joel Pilkington managed a brief debut for the first team, but Johnrose showed he is more than capable of doing the job he was brought in to do.

The fact that a burst of dribbling which ultimately came to nothing raised the biggest cheer of the second half said a lot about the impact he is making in his third spell.

But it also said a lot about the quality of the second 45 minutes, which was littered with mediocrity.

It was pretty much the same in the opening 25 minutes before Branch's goal, but at least chief executive Dave Edmundson's pre-match call for the fans to turn Turf Moor into a cauldron of noise came true early enough for him.

The Clarets fans did him proud by really making themselves heard, but unfortunately it was through restless groans and anguished jeers as passes went astray and Wimbledon regularly won possession from Burnley's hesitant playmakers.

But when Mo Camara burst into the area and his promising cut-back slipped agonisingly behind Robbie Blake and Branch the mood lifted. Unlike the original postponed meeting between these sides last month, it seemed we wouldn't need any wind to take the roof off.

And sure enough, the stands blew up when Burnley finally managed to get a shot on target and take the lead.

It was down to some great play from Paul Weller, who cut inside and hung a tempting cross to the far post which Glen Little diverted towards goal. David Martin saved but he could only scoop it up for Branch to nudge over the line.

Much of the pre-match talk had been politely toeing the line of mutual respect, with Burnley players and management both stressing how wary they were of Wimbledon, especially due to their weekend result.

But, after all, they did only beat a doomed and depressed Bradford, hardly fighting for their lives like last night's opponents and boy did the Dons know they were in a game this time.

Burnley didn't have to play well to beat them - and didn't - but managed, with Branch, Johnrose and David May shoring up the spine of the side, to ensure that victory was never in doubt.

A handball appeal was turned down, Richard Chaplow slid in and missed from six yards and Johnrose was wide with a free header as the Clarets searched a second.

There was then a scare at the other end as Wimbledon, urged on by a couple of car-loads in the away end, came close to an equaliser when Gary Smith's 25-yard bounced back off the post.

But Ntimban-Zeh's own goal was the type of farce which emphasised why the Dons are heading for Division Two - and made it ever more likely that Burnley won't be joining them.

BURNLEY 2

Branch 25, Ntimban-Zeh og 45

WIMBLEDON 0

At Turf Moor Att: 12,223