Burnley are 45 minutes away from being promoted to the Premier League.
They went into today's clash with Wigan Athletic in the knowledge that a victory would see them promoted to the top flight and as such, it was a nervous opening to the encounter.
However, the tension was eased in the 22nd minute when the Clarets broke the deadlock. Dean Marney crossed from the right for Ashley Barnes, who sent an instant finish into the net.
That goal lifted the hosts and they almost had a second seven minutes later, but Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi was just able to beat Danny Ings to the loose ball.
Moments later, Wigan went close to drawing themselves level, but Marc Antoine-Fortune saw his headed effort crash against the crossbar.
Their bad luck continued on the verge of the whistle for the interval when Michael Kightly doubled Burnley's advantage with a whipped free kick that caught out Al Habsi as it flew into the far corner of his net.
Liam Apicella
