Burnley finally ended their home hoodoo as substitute Robbie Blake's 65th-minute strike gave them a 1-0 victory over Plymouth.

Blake broke the deadlock with a sweetly-struck volley within 10 minutes of coming on to give the Clarets a welcome three points.

Burnley had failed to win in their last nine games at Turf Moor, a run stretching back to their 2-1 win over Norwich in October.

It was also their first win in six, home and away, and boosts their hopes of pushing back towards the play-off places.

Argyle were without 11-goal top scorer Sylvan Ebanks-Blake following his midweek move to Wolves and it showed as the play-off hopefuls seldom threatened after Brian Jensen saved Lilian Nalis' second-minute header.

Burnley winger Wade Elliott then volleyed over from the edge of the box as the hosts took control and their patient play almost paid off in the 17th minute.

Central midfielder Jon Harley picked out Elliott on the right but his first-time centre flashed across the face of goal beyond striker Andy Gray.

Joey Gudjonsson fired narrowly wide from 25 yards after some sharp passing on the Burnley left and the Icelandic midfielder was unable to direct Elliott's right-wing cross goalwards on the half-hour mark.

Gudjonsson then found Elliott on the right but Steve Jones, handed his first league start of the season following Kyle Lafferty's red card against Arsenal last week, could only head his cross wide.

Jones sent another header wide following Gudjonsson's surging run down the right, which typified a dismal first half.

The home crowd voiced their frustration at the break but then got right behind their team and were almost rewarded with the opening goal five minutes after the restart.

Right-back Graham Alexander played in Gray behind the Argyle defence, although Luke McCormick was out quickly to parry a weak shot from the former Sunderland striker.

Burnley boss Owen Coyle replaced Jones with Blake in a bid to revive his attack and moments later, Blake found space in the Plymouth box to fire beyond the far post.

But it was Blake who finally made the breakthrough for Burnley midway through the half, deftly turning the ball home from 12 yards from Elliott's pull-back.

Blake almost hit a superb second in the 72nd minute, with his 30-yard strike heading for the top corner until McCormick pulled off a fine save to turn the ball wide, and McCormick denied Alexander from the

resulting corner.

Blake continued to cause Plymouth problems and his driven cross in the 83rd minute was just too long for strike partner Gray.

But Blake's sixth goal of the season proved to be enough as Argyle still failed to push men forward in the closing stages.

Teams:

Burnley Jensen, Alexander, Caldwell, Varga, Unsworth,James O'Connor, Gudjonsson (Spicer 90), Harley, Elliott, Gray,Jones (Blake 56).

Subs Not Used: Kiraly, Garreth O'Connor, Jordan.

Booked: Varga.

Goals: Blake 66.

Plymouth McCormick, Connolly, Seip, Sawyer, Hodges,Summerfield, Nalis (Folly 75), Abdou (Smith 84), Halmosi,Jutkiewicz (Fallon 75), Easter.

Subs Not Used: Larrieu, Moult.

Booked: Connolly.

Att: 14,162

Ref: Anthony Taylor (Greater Manchester).