COLLECTORS' items from Andy Payton and Glen Little brought Burnley their third win in five games to suggest that the pair won't have to run the relegation gauntlet that almost snared them last season.

Payton's goals, in tandem with Andy Cooke, and Little's brilliance were largely responsible for keeping the Clarets up on the final day of the campaign.

But this time it might not be so close thanks to an inspired run which looks like rendering the season's final outing at Northampton meaningless - for Burnley at least.

Last night's ultimately comfortable victory restored Burnley's five-point cushion above the relegation places and lifted them to 16th in the table.

And the survivors like Payton, Cooke, Little and Chris Brass will be starting to breathe a little more easily as they bid to avoid a repeat of 12 months ago.

Where Payton won't mind a touch of deja vu, however, is when it comes to scoring crucial goals.

His nine in 18 games under Chris Waddle were worth their weight in gold and you can hardly put a value on those he has scored for Stan Ternent.

It's now 19 in the League this term and five in the last five with Burnley winning each time their leading scorer has hit the target in that spell.

In the previous 10 games, Payton failed to score and Burnley won once.

It's a team game but every team needs someone to produce a reward for their efforts and Payton is currently doing it as well as anyone around.

At this stage of the season with so much at stake every goal is to be savoured.

So to score one of the quality Payton despatched to break Blackpool's resolve was almost too good to be true.

His instinctive and perfectly executed lob-volley was an example of the goal-scoring art at its finest and totally changed the context of the game.

From being under the cosh for the first 25 minutes, Burnley never looked back.

And Little's goal, almost as unique as Payton's in that he scored it with his head, 12 minutes into the second half guaranteed a victory which stretched Burnley's unbeaten run to six games and enhanced an away record which now shows just one defeat in nine games.

The game was certainly no classic but Burnley were desperate to take maximum points rather than the solitary ones that have represented steady rather than spectacular progress in recent away trips.

And when it came down to the crunch, Ternent's side had more quality than Blackpool where it mattered most. The Seasiders are a hard-working, committed side. They started well and peppered the Burnley penalty area.

But they lacked a cutting edge and once they went behind the hosts rarely looked like getting back into the contest.

Blackpool still tested the Burnley defence with plenty of balls into the box. But the Clarets have a steely determination about them at the moment and Paul Crichton's only save of the game came three minutes from time when he protected his clean sheet with a spectacular stop from Phil Clarkson.

Burnley certainly had to be alert at the back early on as Blackpool started with great vigour and the visitors struggled to get into the game.

Paul Cook, re-engaged from Stockport, was the only midfield man capable of making an impact for Burnley in the opening stages but behind him the Clarets defence refused to buckle.

And the opening goal from Payton saw the balance of power shift Burnley's way.

There was not even a hint of danger when Crichton had the ball played back to him. But seconds later Blackpool had seen the rug whipped out from under their feet as Cooke flicked the ball on for Payton who, looking over his left shoulder, spotted Tony Caig off his line.

Despite running away from goal beyond the corner of the penalty area, the Burnley marksman hooked a first-time volley over the stranded Caig who could only help the ball into the net as he frantically back-pedalled.

If ever a goal lifted one side and deflated another that was it and Micky Mellon almost doubled Burnley's lead before the break with a fizzing volley that flew just over the top.

Mellon has had a quiet start to his Burnley career but he chose a return to one of his former clubs to show his true colours.

Switched into a central position following a re-shuffle caused by Tom Cowan's ankle injury, Mellon had a storming second half. He motored up and down and made a couple of crucial interceptions to protect a lead doubled by Cowan's replacement, Little.

Rather than a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth, the combination of Cook and Cooke worked perfectly as they linked up to provide Little with a far post headed goal that will be one for the scrap book.

There was no way back for Blackpool from 2-0 down and Burnley looked hungry for more on the break.

A Steve Davis header was the nearest they came to adding to their tally, however, and the Seasiders at least kept going to the end.

More often than not it was a Burnley head which made the vital connection but when Clarkson did meet a Junior Bent cross, Crichton was equal to it and tipped his flying header onto the bar.

Mission accomplished, and with five games to go Burnley's tempestuous season is threatening to have a happy ending.

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