Steven Caldwell scored as Burnley beat Southampton 1-0 to ensure the Saints slipped further into the relegation mire in the Championship.The Clarets had not won away from Turf Moor since a 4-2 success at QPR at the start of February, and Owen Coyle's side showed little to suggest for the majority of the first half they could be victorious at St Mary's until Caldwell struck.
Caldwell stooped to head home Robbie Blake's corner on the stroke of half-time and double his tally for the season in the process.
Goalkeeper Brian Jensen also produced a dazzling display to further frustrate the Saints, who were left to rue their profligacy and are now just one point above the bottom three.
Inigo Idiakez and Andrew Surman both went closest to hauling Saints level.
Southampton manager Nigel Pearson kept faith with the same starting XI which drew 1-1 at Charlton last weekend, while centre-half Clarke Carlisle and striker Andrew Cole were recalled to the Burnley side.
Burnley's James O'Connor and Southampton duo Bradley Wright-Phillips and Mario Licka all tried their luck from distance early on, but failed to trouble the respective goalkeepers.
Chris Lucketti had a goalbound effort blocked by former Preston team-mate Graham Alexander with 20 minutes played of a poor opening period as the Saints controlled proceedings, before Idiakez rose well but headed Licka's inswinging corner over.
Idiakez drilled wide from 30 yards just after the half-hour mark and Jason Euell should have done better from just inside the penalty area, but failed to trouble Clarets goalkeeper Jensen.
On the stoke of half-time, Jensen parried well to keep out Surman's 18-yard volley and it proved all the more telling as Burnley raced up the other end and opened the scoring with the last action of the opening 45 minutes.
On-loan West Ham goalkeeper Richard Wright turned Chris McCann's header behind and, from the resulting Blake corner, Caldwell powered home a low, six-yard header.
The home side were unfortunate not to haul themselves level within 70 seconds of the restart as Bradley Wright-Phillips hit the post with a rasping 12-yard drive.
The lively Idiakez drilled straight at Jenson from 30 yards on the hour and the Danish stopper also denied Wright-Phillips from a similar distance shortly afterwards.
Pearson introduced Nathan Dyer - who had a two-month loan spell at Burnley in 2005 - in the hope of mustering an equaliser, but again the Saints found Jensen in fine form.
The 32-year-old is hoping to earn a new deal at Burnley when his existing contract expires in the summer and boss Coyle will, no doubt, have been impressed by his performance on the south coast.
Jensen tipped Idiakez's 74-minute strike round the post and then kept out Youssef Safri's last-gasp effort to ensure Burnley recorded victory.
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