Burnley strikers Sam Vokes and Andre Gray were on target as The Clarets edged past Rotherham at The New York Stadium.
The Clarets held a deserved 1-0 lead at half time after Gray put them ahead after eight minutes after he smartly finished past Lee Camp. Gray latched on to a pass over the top from George Boyd, and then beat Camp to the ball and lifted it over the oncoming keeper.
The chances kept coming for Burnley. Tendayi Darikwa tested Camp with a deflected effort that Lee Camp couldn’t handle and parried away. Just after the half hour mark, Sam Vokes let fly with a rocket from 30 yards that cannoned back off the crossbar.
Rotherham finished the half strongly as they looked for a way back into the game. Two minutes before half time, Matt Derbyshire had Heaton sprawling for the bottom corner but managed to beat it away.
Rotherham’s willpower and fight has to be admired. They battled and won every second ball in the second half. In a second half where the home side were on top, chances were few and far between.
With 15 minutes to go, Rotherham got their reward. Grant Ward, who only came on a few minutes earlier, let fly from 25 yards out. The ball flew into the top right corner giving Tom Heaton no chance at all.
However, Burnley responded well. Just 5 minutes later, Gray fed Scott Arfield down the wing, and the wingers effort came back out off Camp’s legs and Sam Vokes was in the right place at the right time to prod the ball home and give Burnley the 3 points.
Line-ups-
Rotherham- Camp, Buxton, Collins, Rawson (Broadfoot 77), Mattock, G Ward, Smallwood, Andreu (Maguire 71), Newell (D Ward 71), Clarke-Harris
Booked- Collins 61, Smallwood 65, Clarke-Harris 90
Burnley- Heaton, Mee, Keane, Duff, Darikwa, Arfield, Barton, Jones, Boyd (Taylor 75), Gray (C Long 88), Vokes
Booked- C Long 90
Attendance– 9,751, 1,595 away
