Born-again Burnley continued their recent revival with a stunning victory over play-off chasing Cardiff City.

Steve Jones and Paul McVeigh - both on target in the last home game against Plymouth - were again on target with goals early in each half to earn Steve Cotterill's side their third successive win.

Whistle-happy referee Richard Beeby tried desperately to grab his share of the limelight - ridiculously booking five Burnley players without a bad tackle in the game.

But following three wins in six days and four clean sheets in a row, that was a minor gripe on a day when Burnley truly banished their mid-season blues.

The club was united in grief ahead of kick off.

The players linked arms and Turf Moor fell silent in memory of Brian Miller, one of the club's greatest sons, who died at the weekend.

And Brian would certainly have been smiling down as the Clarets, unchanged for the third successive game, honoured him with a goal inside four minutes.

City centre back Roger Johnson hesitated fatally in his own penalty area and Jones pounced to drill a fierce low shot past David Forde and into the bottom corner for his fifth goal of the season.

The Bluebirds' were visibly rocked and it took until the 18th minute for Kevin McNaughton to try and light their spark with a thunderous 30-yard drive was that way too high to trouble Brian Jensen.

Burnley were straight back on the attack and more trickery form Jones took him clear down the left and his deft cross was headed off the angle of crossbar and post by Gray.

City were looking particularly lively when going forward and with three clean sheets behinds them, it required some terrific defending from the Clarets to keep the Welshmen at bay.

But as the half hour approached, it still needed a goal line clearance from James O'Connor to deny Johnson, who rose highest from a right wing corner to arc a header towards the bottom corner of goal.

Caldwell then denied Michael Chopra as the division's leading goalscorer sought a yard of space in the box.

But with openings proving hard to come by, the Clarets cruised to the break with their one-goal lead intact.

And two minutes after the restart, the lead was doubled in style.

A fine, flowing move involving 14 passes and every outfield player bar Eric Djemba-Djemba finally saw James O'Connor feed Gray and the striker roll the ball wide to Elliott.

The lively winger danced outside his marker and crossed hard and low for the inrushing McVeigh to volley home his second goal in successive home games off the crossbar.

The rejuvenated Jones soon ran straight at the heart of the terrified City defence, but despite confidence flowing through his veins, this time skied his shot high, wide and not particularly handsome.

However, the lead was looking comfortable as City, despite enjoying plenty of harmless possession, looked a pale shadow of the side that went top of the Championship back in mid-November with victory over the Clarets.

And all hopes of a fightback were extinguished when substitute Darcy Blake was flagged offside when he headed Chopra's deflected free kick home from a yard out.

Burnley: Jensen, Harley, Thomas, Caldwell, Duff, Jones, Djemba-Djemba, J O'Connor, Elliott (Akinbiyi 87), McVeigh (McCann 76), Gray (Spicer 90).
Subs: Coyne, Coughlan

Booked: Jones 19, Gray 45, Harley 52, Thomas 75, Elliott 78

Cardiff: Forde, Blake, McNaughton, Gunter, Purse, McPhail, Whittingham, Parry, Ledley, Chopra, Feeney, Johnson.
Subs: Alexander, Blake, Thompson, Green, Flood.

Ref: R Beeby

Att: 11,347