Division Two: Stoke City 2 Burnley 2 - Pete Oliver's match verdict

IT WAS better late than never in every sense for the Clarets as they shrugged off 'coach-lag' to come back from the dead and consolidate their top-six place thanks to two late goals from the incomparable Andy Payton and a penalty save by Paul Crichton.

After a three-hour journey that ended just 30 minutes before kick-off thanks to major traffic problems on the M6, Burnley barely had time to gather their thoughts before facing the twin onslaught of a buoyant Stoke side and a storm-force gale.

Many of their supporters arrived even later and were still trooping in at half-time.

Reports of a delayed kick-off relayed on national radio proved to be only a cruel red herring.

But consolation for the latecomers came in the fact that they saw enough high drama in the second 45 minutes to fill most complete matches.

And more importantly, they saw the kind of result they could only have dreamed about with three-quarters of the contest gone.

The Clarets looked out for the count when they conceded two goals in three minutes to trail 2-0 with just 20 minutes to go.

But where there's Payton there's hope.

And after John Mullin had been sent tumbling in the box, the in-form striker kept his nerve to pull one back from the spot. It was an admirable effort from Payton, who had missed his last penalty when Burnley also trailed 2-0 away from home at Notts County earlier this month.

He knew this was his side's last chance to gain a foothold in the game and despite an unsettling delay and the unsporting efforts of Graham Kavanagh to put him off, the Clarets' leading scorer kept his composure to send Gavin Ward the wrong way.

Burnley were then left with 15 minutes to complete the salvage operation and prevent Stoke from going above them in the table.

Only once before this season had they managed to score twice away from home, and that was in defeat at Bury on Boxing Day.

But arguably the best of Payton's 18 goals this season proved Burnley had the mettle to do it.

And, while they missed the chance to significantly close the gap on the top three, the manner of their comeback should enhance the Clarets' belief and keep alive their hopes of automatic promotion.

Stoke were looking to kill off the game when Steve Davis, who had headed into his own net to hand City their second goal, interrupted Kavanagh's progress.

His long ball was neatly guided down by substitute Peter Swan for Payton to run at the back-pedalling City defence. There must have been three striped shirts between Payton and the target but the striker with the Midas touch did enough to engineer an opening and after advancing to the edge of the penalty area guided a low, right-foot shot across Ward and inside the far post to chalk up his third goal against the former Clarets loan keeper this season.

It was also Payton's eighth goal in the last six games but would have counted for nothing had it not been for Crichton's moment of glory 60 seconds later and with just six minutes to go.

Stoke thought they had got out of jail when Mitchell Thomas was judged to have handled when controlling a corner driven hard into the box.

Kavanagh, a central figure in the plot, was suddenly the man on the spot himself. And where Payton had handled the pressure, Stoke's otherwise impressive midfielder was found wanting.

His stop-start run-up appeared to have committed Crichton, but the Burnley keeper had guessed the right way and was able to parry going down to his left.

Relief therefore for Thomas and he made sure that Kavanagh wouldn't save face by denying him a possible last-ditch winner with a superb tackle in front of goal with two minutes to go.

Despite their belated heroics, Burnley's wait for an away win must go on. But as Preston found out a fortnight ago, the Britannia Stadium isn't an easy place to come to.

This wasn't a game for the faint-hearted as the wind and rain made constructive football almost impossible and there were a few stray elbows flying about as Paul Cook and Andy Cooke both discovered late on.

But Burnley can also look after themselves, as Peter Thorne would testify after coming off worse in a tangle with Thomas, and they had big enough hearts to take some reward from a testing afternoon. The first half-hour was all about survival as the Clarets faced the worst of the elements and tried to find their feet after their tortuous coach journey.

Captain Gordon Armstrong epitomised the endeavour with an excellent defensive performance, including a clearance off the line from Thorne mid-way through the first half.

Crichton also showed a sound pair of hands in the conditions whenever called upon and only a fine block from Nicky Mohan prevented Payton giving Burnley a lead just before the break.

However, the Clarets still looked as though they had done hard part, until Thorne slid in Brynjar Gunnarsson's cross after 67 minutes and Davis headed past Crichton to set the scene for the great escape.

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