Northampton Town 2 Burnley 2 - Pete Oliver's big match verdict

IT TAKES quality cooks to create a successful recipe.

So, perhaps it should be no surprise, that Burnley were able to finish their season with an 11-game unbeaten run intact thanks to goal-scoring contributions from Paul Cook and Andy Cooke.

Both struck to cancel out goals from a Northampton side which extended its own undefeated run to nine games.

But with six of those finishing as draws, the Cobblers were unable to save themselves from relegation.

Cooke's first goal in 12 games two minutes from time denied Lee Howey the satisfaction of claiming the winner against the club which deemed him not good enough way back in August.

But, by then, the drama had long since gone as Northampton were swiftly resigned to their fate once news of Oldham's early 2-0 lead over Reading filtered through.

With a win for Oldham consigning Northampton to the drop regardless of the result at a sold-out Sixfields Stadium, the edge was quickly taken off this game.

An unseasonal downpour which reduced a ropey pitch to a quagmire didn't help and the first-half was dismal fare, after Dave Savage had given the Cobblers a glimmer of hope with a seventh-minute goal following Paul Crichton's blunder. Burnley's fans were left to take their entertainment from scores coming from elsewhere.

But to their credit, and in a mirror image of their season, the Clarets rallied as the game went on and kept going to the death to earn their point.

Cook was responsible for giving the fightback some substance and his worth has been incalculable to the Burnley cause since he signed on loan from Stockport County at the height of the club's troubles.

The experienced campaigner has added class and composure to the Clarets midfield, and his left foot will take some replacing at Turf Moor next season if the loan doesn't become a permanent move.

In Andy Payton's absence, you couldn't find a more likely scorer from the penalty spot and Cook didn't disappoint, strolling forward to clip his effort into the top corner to make it 1-1 mid-way through the second half.

Whether it was his parting shot remains to be seen. But certainly no-one has done more to help Burnley put together a remarkable final quarter to the season.

Cook was on the losing side on his debut against Preston, but the rest, as they say, is history.

Even in Saturday's game, that ended up with having no meaning for either side, Burnley had enough about them to twice come from behind and claim a 53-point total which was enough for them to finish in 15th-place in the table.

The Clarets found themselves adrift for the first time when Savage continued his rich vein of form in front of goal by tapping in after Crichton had spilled James Hunt's long-range effort.

And that was that for serious goal-bound efforts until first-half stoppage time when Crichton saved from Steve Howard after Kevin Wilson had played him in. Burnley boss Stan Ternent had raised a few eyebrows by replacing Ally Pickering with youngster Brad Maylett after just 33 minutes.

But the switch began to pay off in the second half when the Clarets used Maylett as a useful attacking outlet down the right flank.

His eye for goal was apparent following a slip by Howey. And, although Maylett's angled drive was palmed away by Billy Turley, his effort seemed to trigger Burnley's momentum.

From the resulting corner, Cowan flicked a shot at Turley and Paul Smith then announced his return to first-team action with a telling cross which John Frain met just before Maylett.

However, Frain was not so dominant on the floor against the lively Maylett who skipped across the sodden turf to cause Northampton problems as Burnley gained the upper hand. And when Tony Dobson nudged him in the box, referee Alan Butler gave Cook the chance to level from the spot.

However, Northampton's response was positive and after Crichton had beaten away an Ian Hendon piledriver, the home side went back in front with 10 minutes to go. The spectre of Howey scoring to send the Clarets down evaporated some time ago but the big defender still put a spanner in the works by squeezing a downward header past Crichton, who should have saved it.

But Burnley have proved themselves to be at their most dangerous with their backs against the wall this season.

And so it proved once again when Cooke popped up to keep the division's longest unbeaten run going into next season.

The striker scored twice on the final day 12 months ago to keep Burnley up.

And although the goals haven't flowed quite as freely since then, Cooke remains a dangerous customer, at his best around the box.

His thumping 20-yarder was proof of that to bring down the curtain on a campaign that he and his team hope will be the prelude to better things next time around.

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