Clarets sink Sky Blues
By Patrick Goss. Last Updated: January 1, 1970 1:00am
Burnley belatedly got their season started with an impressive 4-0 victory over ten-man Coventry City at Turf Moor.
The Clarets had lost their opening two matches, but gave their fans a major lift with a convincing victory, which saw Garreth O'Connor and Wayne Thomas' first goals for the club added to by a late Ade Akinbiyi brace.
Burnley were already 2-0 up when Stephen Hughes was dismissed for foul and abusive language after the award of a penalty that Gifton Noel Williams failed to convert.
It took just under half an hour for Burnley to grab the first, with Noel Williams laying the ball back for former Bournemouth man O'Connor to fire home from the edge of the box.
Garreth O'Connor then turned provider for Thomas, his pinpoint corner powered home by the defender.
It should have been three for Burnley before half time, when Noel Williams was felled in the penalty area by Matt Heath and Hughes protests earned him a red card.
Noel Williams failed to convert, but the extra man ensured that it was Burnley who dominated the second half.
Coventry hung on for much of the game's remainder, but with three minutes left on the clock, Akinbiyi latched onto Noel Williams' pass to fire home with aplomb.
Young star Kyle Lafferty came off the bench to lay on the fourth - his cross handing Akinbyi a straightforward second goal and the Turf Moor crowd a much-needed boost.
Matches
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npower Championship
Table
npower Championship
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff City | 46 | 87 |
| 2 | Hull City | 46 | 79 |
| 3 | Watford | 46 | 77 |
| 4 | Brighton and Hove Albion | 46 | 75 |
| 5 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 72 |
| 6 | Leicester City | 46 | 68 |
| 7 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 68 |
| 8 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 67 |
| 9 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 65 |
| 10 | Derby County | 46 | 61 |
| 11 | Burnley | 46 | 61 |
| 12 | Birmingham City | 46 | 61 |
| 13 | Leeds United | 46 | 61 |
| 14 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 60 |
| 15 | Blackpool | 46 | 59 |
| 16 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 59 |
| 17 | Blackburn Rovers | 46 | 58 |
| 18 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | 58 |
| 19 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 58 |
| 20 | Millwall | 46 | 56 |
| 21 | Barnsley | 46 | 55 |
| 22 | Peterborough United | 46 | 54 |
| 23 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 51 |
| 24 | Bristol City | 46 | 41 |
Garreth O'Connor
Wayne Thomas
Ade Akinbiyi
