DUNNE FIGHTS ON TO EARN HESKEY CHEER

THERE was only one man at Turf Moor who understood just how Richard Dunne has been feeling this week.

That was the guy who won a car in the half-time draw only to be told seconds later he had in fact only landed second prize and had the keys whipped out of his hand.

Dunne knows all about the dejection that comes with having your dreams ripped away just as you are about to grasp the prize.

Thierry Henry did that to him when Lady Luck refused to cash the cheque that had been written out to him in Paris.

The Frenchman's handball might have drawn sympathy for the Irish from across the world, but Dunne has to live with the heartbreak.

Here though was a chance, for a little while at least, for him to ease the pain, dump the torment and forget the agony.

Switching the cursed Irish shirt for Villa's white change strip, he could focus on leading his side to a first victory at Turf Moor since 1936 and right into the thick of the Champions League battle.

But within 10 minutes Dunne's world was falling in again as he failed to use his imposing frame to deal with a deep Robbie Blake free-kick into the Villa box.

Steven Caldwell beat him to the ball and, with keeper Brad Friedel in no-man's land, the Burnley skipper's header flew into the net.

Two minutes later Dunne was booked for a foul on Tyrone Mears. It appeared Martin O'Neill had dropped a clanger in asking his strong-arm stopper to charge once more into the breach.

The Villa boss had offered Dunne the chance to watch from the stands as he tried to come to terms with the cataclysmic end of his World Cup dreams.

At that point the old warhorse himself may have started to think he picked the wrong option.

But Dunne fought on, against the blustery conditions as much as the Clarets strikers.

And he finally put a dent in the depression that must be enveloping him as Emile Heskey netted a late leveller.

DUNNE: Ends a bad week with some relief

There was plenty for O'Neill to beam about too as his gamble in throwing on Heskey in place of right-back Luke Young paid off.

With four minutes left the muscular front man barged defenders out of his way to get his head on James Milner's cross for his first goal of the season.

Probably just as pleasing for O'Neill as the end of Heskey's barren run was the shock introduction of Stewart Downing as a sub.

The capture from Middlesbrough was thought to be weeks away from recovering from a foot broken last May - ironically in a clash with Villa.

Downing had little time to make an impression in his cameo role but the impetus the Midlanders had built up before his introduction meant he could revel in a cavalry charge finish.

Having spent most of the match penned in by a Burnley side that had won all but one of their six previous home games this season, Villa finally clicked into gear in the final quarter.

Gabby Agbonlahor was denied by a smart Brian Jensen save and Steven Sidwell headed wide at the far post.

With Blake's influence waning and Steven Fletcher struggling to continue the endurance work his role as a lone striker required, Villa knew a point at least was there for the taking. Heskey secured it. And while the result may be seen by some of the Holte End faithful as a let-down considering the 5-1 mauling of Bolton in their last outing, a point at Turf Moor is a decent return.

Manchester United and Everton both left with less. And it's testimony to Owen Coyle's battlers that they felt devastated at missing out on the win as well.

Lacking in resources and wages, Coyle has been forced to blend a touch of flair with a dose of growling doggedness.

And the combination is paying off Burnley's players keep punching above their weight on a weekly basis.

Smiles abound at the Turf among players who accept the prospect of being in a World Cup play-off is as fanciful as watching Kate Moss tuck into a Sunday roast.

For this crowd, just stepping out against players they previously only viewed on television is the sum total of their dreams.

Driven on by Coyle's enthusiasm, they are proving their detractors wrong as each week passes. Their almost boyish zeal is a joy to behold in a land where bitching about money and refs is normal practice.

Whether they can keep up their coltish hunger for a full campaign is yet to be seen, but the Premier League is a better place for their presence.

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