Burnley responded to Steve Cotterill's challenge at Turf Moor, by picking up their first points and collecting their first clean sheet against Coventry City.

The Clarets boss had challenged his team to get their first points, goals and a clean sheet within the first week of the season and after losing the two openers, they more than made up for it with a classy and confident display against the Sky Blues.

The first two goals came in the first half and they both came from two of Cotterill's summer signings with Garreth O'Connor and Wayne Thomas getting their first goals for the Clarets before Ade Akinbiyi got his second and third goals of the season in the latter stages.

Burnley started well and came close in the opening stages, when Thomas showed a sign of things to come by heading powerfully over the bar from Garreth O'Connor's chipped corner kick after just three minutes of the game.

The Clarets were forced to play with 10 men for a lengthy period shortly on, after Wade Elliott hurt himself whilst making a brave challenge on City captain Stephen Hughes. After some intensive treatment from Andy Mitchell though, the winger was allowed back on. He only lasted a couple of minutes more though, before 18-year-old Chris McCann was brought on for his full League debut.

Burnley forced the first real save of note too, when Ade Akinbiyi beat Matt Heath down the right before crossing to the far post. McCann headed down and Micah Hyde's side foot volley was well saved by Sky Blues keeper Stephen Bywater before Coventry cleared the danger.

Brian Jensen had a simple save from Stern John's header in the 25th minute, before Akinbiyi flashed a shot wide of the target after neatly spinning Robert Page 25 yards from goal.

Burnley took a deserved lead in the 28th minute though, when Hyde played a ball into Gifton Noel Williams. He laid the ball off to Garreth O'Connor, who drilled a low shot into the bottom corner for his first goal in a Claret shirt.

Coventry came close to an equaliser in the 34th minute, when Hughes connected sweetly with a 25 yard free kick but his low shot flew wide of the target to Burnley's relief.

Gary McSheffrey then put a left footed shot over the bar from 25 yards, after collecting the ball on the left channel in a City counter attack.

Moments later it was 2-0 though, when Garreth O'Connor repeated his earlier delivery from a corner on the left, only this time Thomas had found the space to power a header home from around 10 yards out.

With half time approaching, Burnley should have sealed a three goal lead when the assistant referee awarded a penalty for Matt Heath's foul on Noel Williams in the area. The visitors weren't happy with the decision and Hughes took the protests too far and was duly shown a red card.

Noel Williams grabbed the ball himself, but placed his shot well over the target much to the disgust of himself.

Burnley went on to play some great football though and Garreth O'Connor came close to getting his second after a 25 yard dart forward ended with a stinging left footed shot which was well saved by Bywater.

It was then James O'Connor's turn, when after neatly beating Richard Duffy in the area he curled his shot narrowly wide of the post.

City came close to getting back in the game on the stroke of half time, when Heath headed against the bar from Marcus Hall's left wing cross.

Burnley started the second half brightly too and both Noel Williams and Akinbiyi were presented with half chances within five minutes of the re-start with Noel Williams tackled and Akinbiyi shooting wide from an angle.

McCann's curling cross from the left in the 58th minute caused all-sorts of problems in the City area, eventually finding Noel Williams at the far post. The ball was eventually worked to James O'Connor, but a last ditch tackle denied him.

The Clarets were piling forward by this stage in search of more goals against a beleaguered looking Coventry, playing in their third successive away game before a move to their new home at the Ricoh Arena next weekend.

Akinbiyi came close again in the 67th minute, when he ran at Page one-on-one before curling a low shot narrowly wide of the post after being fed by the ever willing Noel Williams.

McCann then came close to a debut goal, when a well worked free kick was played into his path by the two O'Connors.

In a bid to stem the flow of Burnley attacks, Coventry introduced Adrian Williams and changed to three central defenders whilst the Clarets responded by bringing Kyle Lafferty on in place of McCann.

Akinbiyi got the goal and acclaim that he deserved with less than five minutes to play, when he drilled home a powerful low shot from inside the box after Noel Williams had played him through.

The popular striker then got his second of the match just a few moments later, when Lafferty crossed from the right and watched as Akinbiyi knocked home from inside the six yard box.

That sealed an enjoyable afternoon at Turf Moor, with the sunshine even making a late appearance.

Burnley: Jensen, Thomas, McGreal, Duff, James O'Connor, Hyde, Branch, Akinbiyi, Elliott (McCann, 12) (Lafferty, 78) Garreth O'Connor, Noel Williams. Subs not used: Coyne, Sinclair, Yates.

Coventry: Bywater, Duffy, Hall, Page, Heath, Doyle, Hughes, McSheffrey (Williams, 70) Adebola (Morrell, 76) Scowcroft, John (Jorgensen, 45) Subs not used: Ince, Wood.

Bookings:

Sending offs: Stephen Hughes (dissent) 43 minutes