Michael Kightly’s 54th minute goal saw already-promoted Burnley to a 1-0 victory over Town at Turf Moor and ended the Blues’ hopes of reaching the play-offs. Tommy Smith had a first-half header nodded off the line and sub Paul Taylor’s late freekick was well saved, but overall the Clarets deserved their victory.

Frazer Richardson was handed the right midfield role — rather than the central position anticipated before kick-off - with Paul Anderson missing out with the hamstring injury he aggravated in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.

Paul Green came into the centre alongside Cole Skuse with Anthony Wordsworth missing out with the dead leg he suffered on Monday. Luke Hyam remains on the sidelines with a hip flexor strain.

Christophe Berra was back at the heart of the defence with skipper Luke Chambers moving to right-back. Freddie Veseli was on the bench for the first time since he returned from his loan spell at Bury.

Having confirmed their promotion via a 2-0 win against Wigan on Monday, Burnley, wearing a vintage kit to celebrate their 1914 FA Cup win, struck the game’s first shot in the second minute, Scott Arfield’s effort deflecting wide from Danny Ings’s knockdown.

Daryl Murphy hit the first shot of the game for the Blues, who were wearing last season’s white and black away kit, from the edge of the box in the 10th minute but Ben Mee blocked.

Ashley Barnes just failed to reach Ings’s knockdown in the 11th minute as the home fans began a round of applause in tribute to Robbie Williamson, an 11-year-old boy who died earlier in the week after falling in a canal.

On 20 Burnley keeper Tom Heaton came off his line quickly to claim ahead of Stephen Hunt, but largely both keepers had been spectators.

Smith was booked for a tactical foul on Ings in the 25th minute after Aaron Cresswell had given the ball away midway inside the Blues’ half.

The New Zealand international was close to opening the scoring two minutes later when Kieran Trippier nodded his header off the line and over after Berra had knocked Richardson’s corner from the right back across the edge of the six-yard box.

The Blues were starting to look more dangerous, winning a number of corners. But on the half hour, following one of those Town flagkicks, the Clarets broke quickly but Arfield was unable to direct Kightly’s right-wing cross towards goal. On 33, Gerken claimed Barnes’s shot down to his right.

Burnley skipper Jason Shackell cut out Chambers’s right-sided cross as a rather lacklustre half moved into its final five minutes.

Murphy and Jonny Williams exchanged passes on the left in the 41st minute, the Irishman whipping over a teasing cross to the far post which Richardson couldn’t direct goalwards when under pressure from Kightly.

A minute later, Ings shot in to the side-netting, then Murphy cut in from the right before shooting across the face of goal. The less than exciting first period was brought to a close with no further significant action.

Town probably had the best chance of the first 45 minutes, with Smith’s header goal-bound until Trippier’s intervention.

But overall the Blues never gave the impression that they were a side desperately in need of three points to stay in the play-off race.

At the other end, Gerken hadn’t been seriously tested, although Burnley frontmen Ings and Barnes had had one or two threatening moments.

The home side took the lead with the second half’s first opportunity in the 54th minute. Barnes fed Ings, who took the ball into the area past Chambers before the advancing Gerken blocked, but Kightly, who played for Blues boss Mick McCarthy at Wolves, tapped the loose ball home from close range.

Immediately Blues subs Taylor, Frank Nouble and Jack Marriott started warming up on the touchline.

Ings shot not too far wide from distance just prior to the hour mark before the Clarets swapped Junior Stanislas for Kightly. Two minutes later, after Williams had received what looked like a high boot to the head inside the penalty area, Taylor and Nouble replaced Hunt and Richardson as the Blues moved to 4-3-3.

There was a scare for Town in the 69th minute when Stanislas nodded Dave Jones’s freekick from the right back across the box but Smith was on hand to block Barnes’s shot. Moments later, the Town centre-half similarly got in the way of an Ings strike with the Blues somewhat under the cosh.

Burnley almost went two goals in front in the 73rd minute when Ings crashed Dean Marney’s low cross from the right against the underside of the bar, the loose ball falling safely.

The Clarets were continuing to look the more likely scorers with the Blues rarely threatening Heaton’s goal. On 78 Green did well to intercept Marney’s ball for Stanislas as the home side broke after a Town corner.

The Blues weren’t far from an equaliser in the 80th minute when Heaton clawed Taylor’s curling 20-yard freekick wide after Green had been fouled by Michael Duff.

Williams was booked for a foul on the veteran Burnley defender soon after, then Nouble looped a powerful shot over from the edge of the box, the first signs that the Blues might stage a fightback in the final few minutes.

Nouble curled another effort wide on 88, then in the final minute centre-half Berra, who had by now been thrown forward as an additional striker, flicked Taylor’s excellent right-wing cross just wide.

But the comeback which would have taken Town’s play-off challenge into the final week of the season never came, Brighton’s victory over Yeovil last night having put the Seagulls four points ahead of the Blues.

Overall, it was an underwhelming manner in which to end the push for sixth place, Town having shown little urgency until after the home side had gone in front.

Even after Taylor and Nouble had been introduced, Burnley continued to look the more likely scorers — and Ings was unlucky not to increase their lead when he hit the bar - with the former Peterborough man’s freekick the nearest the Blues got to an equaliser.

Burnley: Heaton, Tripper, Shackell (c), Duff, Mee, Arfield (Wallace 71), Marney, Jones, Kightly (Stanislas 63), Barnes, Ings (Treacy 90). Unused: Cisak, Edgar, Baird, Long.

Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Cresswell, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Richardson (Nouble 65), Green, Hunt (Taylor 65), Williams, Murphy. Unused: Loach, Mings, Veseli, Tabb, Marriott. Referee: James Linington (Newport, Isle of Wight). Att: 14,574 (Town: 460).

Photo: Action Images

JWM added 21:28 - Apr 26 Better than being a senile old duffer BillBlue
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BillBlue added 21:36 - Apr 26 JWM - Last week I said I was sad for you and I was. Now with this insult I am very, very unhappy and shall point it out to the powers that be because it is totally unacceptable. I am old yes but I most certainly am not senile and I still maintain an IQ which is probably at twice your level.
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JWM added 21:40 - Apr 26 So it's ok for you to aim personal insults but not for me to retaliate! If you can't take it don't dish it!
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BlueandTruesince82 added 21:47 - Apr 26 Bill I did not miss quote you. Said free kick means the free kick to which you refer. If you notice I dont use quotation marks because im not quoting. I am giving my opinion which is the free kick was his only contribution. Read the sentence again mate.
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ITFCRealist added 21:50 - Apr 26 Just back from the game. All I can say is if ME keeps this inept moron in charge of our once proud club by Monday, then he is more of an idiot then I thought possible. He is a multi-millionaire businessman. How he can accept an almost criminally incompetent man to run such a high profile business. We were 6th! Now we are 10th, Billblue, you are right. Mick OUT!
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BillBlue added 21:50 - Apr 26 JWM - The fact that you cannot determine the difference between a bit of banter and a positive insult leaves very much for everybody else to think about when considering your stated opinions.
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JWM added 21:54 - Apr 26 Ah so it's banter now! Ok Bill I will give you the benefit of the doubt this time but please don't do it again.
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Guru_of_Ipswich added 22:00 - Apr 26 Can't believe there are some people on here moaning about mick, probably are all wound up because he left muhren, mariner and johnny wark out of the squad today. Some 'supporters' need to get themselves out of 70's and 80's and actually realise we aren't this great force anymore, we were basically a joke club only 18 months ago, yet mick has turned us around with a budget smaller than a norwich city trophy cabinet. So if you want to turn on somebody perhaps you should try the invisable man on how he didn't put his hand in his pocket in january, or getting in a striker when didzy got injured.

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JWM added 22:29 - Apr 26 Are you for real Realust? Yeah let's get Mick out because he has only guided us to our best finish in the league since 2008 and spent no money in the process! Oh and of course there will be a huge line of top quality managers beating our door down at the prospect of inheriting a club that gas absolutely no money to spend with an invisible owner who couldn't really give a toss! Yeah great shout mate! Perhaps Jewell will come back and give it another go or maybe Ian dowse if we are really lucky!

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blueboy1981 added 22:35 - Apr 26 barrysandals and JWM ......... I would be most obliged if you would totally refrain from reading my posts - call yourselves ' true blues ' - that's an even bigger joke than MM's tactics today. I and many others, I suspect, would prefer to have no further dialogue with either of you - you are obviously well short of being able to have constructive dialogue with people without being abusive. End of dialogue - end of story.

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barrysandals added 22:38 - Apr 26 Night night blueboy. Wake up in your yellow and green shirt
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Hoppersblue10 added 22:38 - Apr 26 Do some people not realise that that spell in the late 70s & early 80s was a period of time when this medium sized club massively over achieved.? We are currently around the 35th best club in the country, maybe around 5 to 10 places lower than I think we should be but still trying to repair the damage done by a couple of joke managers before MM.!
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blueboy1981 added 22:42 - Apr 26 PATHETIC - glad you've found each other !!
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JWM added 22:54 - Apr 26 Blueboy pots and kettles spring to mind mate! You're ok dishing it but just like many others on here you can't take it! I will gladly ignore your drivel in future as all the bile you spill is giving me indigestion!
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NoelTheDub added 23:03 - Apr 26 Can anyboby on here tell me does it take money to play a balanced team today or many other days when we let teams like ourselves off the hook.A CB at RB a RB at RM two holding mids 1 up front.It was a nothing game for Burnley so why play clearly not to lose when we had to win.A defeat today was not a problem its the manner of it I would have went for it nothing to lose or played Richardson at RB,Mings at LB,Cresswell at LM with WILLIAMS in the middle with Green and Taylor or Nouble up top with Murf you dont need money or a big squad thats an excuse for not been positive....

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bluemagic74 added 23:34 - Apr 26 Thanks itfc 4 a better season pity dids has been out 4 last 3 months as beleave we would have made it in the play offs, but lets live in hope next season can b our year although im shore I say this every year. Thanks also mm and tc and come on plz Mr evans put your hand in your pocket.
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Lightningboy added 23:45 - Apr 26 Hopefully we'll be sending Richardson & Green (and even Williams) back to their parent clubs tomorrow and will be giving "our" players a run out next week. For what it's worth: We need to clear out some of the remaining dead wood this summer - Hunt,Tabb,Edwards,Taylor..plus not much point in keeping SEB if he's constantly injured. We need a solid,dependable keeper..Gerken & Loach are decent back-up..would like to see Kelvin Davis back. We need to try and keep our back 4 together + bring back Hewitt. We need to add a midfield maestro (Skuse is extremely average)..Hyam & Wordsworth are decent enough but need some quality/experience alongside them. We need to add some pace on the wings. We need a fit striker to provide back-up to McGoldrick & Murphy + hopefully Marriott will be given as much game time as Nouble has this season. Easier said than done I know but those are my thoughts.

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del45 added 23:57 - Apr 26 MM always safe and boring football get the odd win play 1 up front 7 in defence forwards on the bench till it is to late to win games .
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smithy91 added 00:02 - Apr 27 Thought id leave it a few hours to calm down after the game, and even now im thinking what the hell kind of performance was that for a must win game? As bad as ive seen all season. Ideas lacking, very poor set piece delivery- winning corners seemed the only effective tactic for us today, but was ineffective because of poor service. So disappointed in the manner of this loss- if we had 10 shots on target/hitting woodwork then at least we could say we gave it a go, but we didnt even start two strikers, and then start a proper full back at right midfield? Richardson did well last week, but in his natural position. Im starting to wonder if Mick is the right man, because without money this style will probably not be improved. Stick or twist Evans!

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ITFCRealist added 00:32 - Apr 27 JWM, all I want is a good manager, like Fergie Jnr or Eddie Howe. We have some good players, but we have a terrible manager. I wont comment on Jewell or Keane, but I am sure BFJ, or GB, or even JM would have got us promoted with the team we have now. And the days when I was your age, Sir Bobby would have won the league by March. Go back to playing Football Manager, and leave this board to your elders and betters.

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richard_4_itfc added 00:58 - Apr 27 Town played reasonably well at Burnley today except for 2 issues. Firstly, they gifted Burnley such a soft goal and secondly they had chances but missed them! That is a recipe for disaster for any team! Town must play well in their last home game of the season and finish the season with a win. This would give all the team and fans encouragement from this season and hope for next season. COME ON YOU BLUES!

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coolcat added 08:21 - Apr 27 Well summed up, richard_4_itfc. Watched it on Sky. Thought Burnley was like a fortress. Didn't think it would be a goal fest looking at both sides.
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Dissboyitfc added 08:42 - Apr 27 Firstly a big pat on the back for all those that travelled to the game. Secondly a big pat on the back for MM and TC for keeping us up last season, minor miracle at the time considering where we were when he joined us. Thirdly i am reading on here the thoughts of others who use the words" great season" and" progress" and i disagree, that was not a great season and i see little progress. If we lose our last game of the season and Reading and wigan win their games, we will finish 8 points short of play-offs in a mid table position, exactly where we finished last season. I agree with a previous poster we cant keep comparing now to the 70's and 80's thats just plain silly, times have changed, but comparing it to the joe royal era would be a better comparison, he had no money when he took over. But in Kuqi and Bent we scored for fun and achieved the play offs. I am sick and tired of being a mediocre championship side, supporting town is like my old school report, "could should and must do better, simply not good enough" . COYB

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rollercoastertown added 08:42 - Apr 27 Once again simply wrote in diary "bugger". Great effort from Town fans yesterday, and nice moment when MM acknowledged the away support at the end. The football? Not great, seen better from town, seen much worse too. Onward and upward for next season. Tactics? Probably not the best, but pretty good effort all round over the year considering the size of the squad. If only dids had stayed fit. Of only, if only, if only.......... COYB

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Langdon_Blue added 09:16 - Apr 27 McCarthy has done brilliantly with no money. Finding the likes of McGoldrick, Berra, Williams seemingly out of nowhere, in most cases in other teams reserves. Naturally there will be lots of comings and goings in the Summer. I feel we have the right Manager I just hope he gets given the funds to strengthen the squad, that Evans gave to his previous Managers.
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