EDDIE Howe admitted there was an overall sense of what might have been after Burnley ended the season with a point when it should have been three.

After all, it certainly wasn't the first time they could say that in what, on reflection, has been a deeply frustrating campaign.

Even in the first four months of Howe’s tenure there have been occasions where the Clarets haven’t got what they fully deserved.

Most recently, a point at home to Portsmouth was more a case of two missed after conceding against the run of play and having to fight back. There was a similar story at home to Coventry, while Burnley have been left to rue failing to convert pressure into goals at Scunthorpe in Howe’s first game in charge, which ended goalless.

A three-month wait for a Championship away win was a key contributing factor in the managerial change halfway through the season.

Under Brian Laws, Burnley twice surrendered two-goal leads at Sheffield United, then Norwich, to come away with two points less than they should have both times. While at home to Leeds in mid-December, they led 2-0 at the break only to ship three second half goals, without reply.

Injuries to key players at key times, two of them – Chris McCann and Martin Paterson – long-term, have also been factors in a season of disappointment.

But with the shackles off, after a play-off position became impossible following defeat at Leeds the previous weekend, and a fit-again McCann looking the part with the captain’s armband, Burnley put a frustrating past behind them and offered hope for the future.

David Edgar played with the intent of being part of it.

Two years and three managers since signing from Newcastle United in Owen Coyle’s last summer at Turf Moor, the Canadian has had to be the epitome of patience.

He isn’t the only one, of course. But he gave up becoming a Magpies mainstay for Burnley’s Premier League crusade.

Edgar had hoped his first league start for the Clarets in Laws’ first game, at Old Trafford in January last year, would lead to an extended run in the side.

There was no shame in being bettered by Berbatov and Rooney.

He had given a good account of himself and kept his place for the visits of Chelsea and West Ham, but was overlooked following a 3-0 defeat at Fulham less than a month later and loaned out to Swansea in March.

An opportunity at the start of this season ended badly, as he was cruelly sent off at Ipswich after stepping in for the injured Michael Duff.

He filled the Northern Ireland international’s boots again, but went the distance this time and should have had a clean sheet to show for his first game at centre half since starting at Craven Cottage.

He played with a smile as he stifled a snarling Craig Bellamy, right up until the last minute that is. The willing Welshman had the last laugh by breaking Burnley’s resilience in bursting onto a punt and chipping Brian Jensen from the edge of the box, cancelling out Jay Rodriguez’s classy 13th minute opener.

It was a lapse in the Clarets’ concentration that has been an all too frequent occurrence this season. Their Achilles heel. But Howe is keen to find the cure this summer, either in-house or elsewhere, to make sure they fulfil their top six ambitions next term, and to sustain a first-half performance which blew the Bluebirds away.

Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday pundit Phil Thompson reportedly noted: “They’re playing like Brazil here Jeff!” to anchorman Stelling.

Burnley were revelling in the freedom to express themselves; playing for their futures, wherever that may be as Howe looks to shake things up for next season while others might look to engineer their own exit route to fulfil their desire for Premier League football.

Chris Eagles was especially effective, linking play going forward and sucking defenders in to make space for Rodriguez – his leading scorer rival – to roam.

Ross Wallace, too, had a point to prove after a spell on the bench in recent weeks.

The Scot burst out of the blocks and brought an early save from Stephen Bywater after leaving Paul Quinn on his backside in the box.

Rodriguez struck soon after, finishing superbly across the Cardiff keeper on receiving Andre Bikey’s fantastic forward pass.

But it was the product of a break after Bellamy and Jason Koumas threatened only to meet a brick wall in Jensen, who slid out to stop Bellamy on one side then shifted across quickly to save from Koumas.

Burnley were buoyant with their one-goal, and should have added to it with another Wallace chance, but he took too long to think about his options when he got the ball in the box and his shot cannoned off Mark Hudson, who then combined with Bywater to deny Rodriguez a second when he raced onto Eagles’ first-time ball.

The two collided on a skiddy surface, with centre half Hudson coming off worst and going off on the half-hour.

Jensen, who saved a shot on the turn from Jay Bothroyd before the break, tipped over from Peter Whittingham early in the second half.

But Burnley remained a threat each time they went forward.

Wade Elliott chased a ball to the byeline and cut back for Eagles, whose shot was blocked.

By hook or by crook Bellamy continued to probe, and went down cheaply under his old Newcastle team-mate Edgar’s challenge to the left of the box.

Justice was served when the free kick came to nothing.

At the other end, Jack Cork, searching for a summer move from Chelsea, searched for openings here, and led Dekel Keinan a merry dance in the box but didn’t get the opportunity to shoot.

Burnley had done enough to deserve the win, but typically of their season, they didn’t, and when Bellamy sprinted onto Stephen McPhail’s punt from midfield it was inevitable that he would chip the advancing Jensen on the edge of the box.

There were enough positives to keep fans hopeful going into the summer break, and to cheer the players on in their post-match lap of appreciation led by Steven Thompson, in what is expected to be his final act at Turf Moor after two-and-a-half seasons.