It was a cold and blustery night at Turf Moor, but Burnley turned up the heat on their promotion rivals with a deserved 2-0 win over Coventry City.

Goals in either half from Chris McCann and Steve Caldwell - his first goal in 75 league games - was enough to secure all three points and send the Turf Moor faithful home happy.

It was a quiet start to the game, with both sides enjoying spells of possession without either ever troubling the respective goalkeepers.

The first real half-chance fell came when a cross from Wade Elliott on 13 minutes caught in the wind and almost found Ade Akinbiyi in space in the area.

But the blustery conditions meant that the ball looped into the arms of Andy Marshall in the City goal.

However, Burnley took the lead on 20 minutes when a deep corner was headed back into the mixer by Steven Caldwell.

Coventry failed to clear and whilst there was a hint of handball against Kyle Lafferty, Chris McCann wasn't going to let that stop him smashing home his fifth of the campaign from point blank range.

Five minutes later, James O'Connor - who scored the Clarets only goal in the 3-1 defeat at Plymouth on Saturday - had a great volley from the edge of the area bravely blocked after a free kick from Elliott was flicked back from Akinbiyi.

Coventry did have the ball in the back of the net two minutes later, but the linesman had raised his flag for offside long before Julian Gray fired his shot past Brian Jensen.

The wind played havoc all during the first half with neither side really able to get the measure of it with the high balls.

And Brian Jensen had to be alert on 43 minutes to gather a through ball with Gray threatening as Coventry finished the half the stronger of the two sides.

That was the last action and Burnley boss Owen Coyle would have been delighted to go in at the break one goal to the good.

Coventry started the second half with plenty of attacking intent and only a brave block stopped Gray from testing Jensen with a rasping free kick from 25 yards.

Coyle introduced on-loan Arsenal youngster Mark Randall to the action on 58 minutes - and the impressive midfielder had his first chance just two minutes later when he unleashed a 30 yard screamer which flew inches over Marshall's goal.

Jensen kept the Clarets in the game on 65 minutes when he did well to parry away a powerful shot from the edge of the area from Mifsud.

Randall had another chance from the edge of the area on 71 minutes but his curling shot again got the better of the upright.

Lafferty was then a whisker away from getting Burnley's second on 77 minutes when he just failed to get a touch on Elliott's inviting ball across the six yard box after a delightful Randall through ball had released Akinbiyi.

That was to be Lafferty's last action of the game and Robbie Blake replaced him seconds later as Burnley looked to see out the last 13 minutes.

Blake soon had a chance with a header, but from his resulting corner captain Caldwell wrapped up all three points with a powerful header at the back post.

Burnley: Jensen, Alexander, Carlisle, Caldwell, Harley, Elliott, Gudjonsson (Randall 58), McCann, O'Connor, Lafferty (Blake 77), Akinbiyi (Spicer 88).
Subs: Kiraly, Spicer, Unsworth.
Bookings: McCann (47, foul).

Coventry City: Marshall, Osbourne, Fox, Hall, Ward, Hughes, Thornton, Tabb (Simpson 70), Mifsud, Best, Gray.
Subs: Konstantopoulos, Dann, Birchall, Andrews.

Attendance: 9,779