Burnley kept their play-off hopes alive after they capitalised on Stoke's inability to clear a corner to come away from the Britannia Stadium with victory.

It was a largely uninspiring game with few chances created by both sides but the breakthrough came in the second half when Dean West fired home from a Lee Briscoe corner.

Managers Tony Pulis and Stan Ternent kept faith with the starting line-ups that beat Walsall and Fulham respectively during the week.

Both sides made a slow, scrappy start to the game with neither team taking control or stamping their authority on the match.

The first chance of any note fell to Stoke's Lee Mills although his 25-yard shot was too weak to cause the Burnley defence any real problems.

The game became a stop-start affair with both sides being penalised for fouls but it briefly sprang into life when Bjarni Gudjonsson's right-footed shot was blocked by Ian Cox after 20 minutes.

Stoke continued to push forward and James O'Connor went close but his inswinging corner forced a fantastic save from Marlon Beresford.

Burnley created their own chance with Ian Moore testing Steve Banks from 25 yards while play switched to the other end and O'Connor tried again to find a way past Beresford.

There were a glut of chances early in the second half with Beresford clearing corners from Gudjonsson and Peter Hoekstra while Paul Cook's curling left-footed shot flew over the bar.

But it was Burnley who finally broke the deadlock through West after 56 minutes. The Stoke defence failed to clear a corner and the ball fell for West to fire home.

Marcus Hall tried to pull a goal back from a free-kick only for Beresford while substitute Andrew Cooke almost equalised when his header went over the bar while Hoekstra forced a brilliant save from Beresford three minutes from time.

Teams

Stoke: Banks, Thomas, Handyside, Shtanuk, Marcus Hall, Gudjonsson, O'Connor, Gunnarsson, Hoekstra, Mills (Iwelumo 69), Greenacre (Cooke 70).

Subs Not Used: Richardson, Neal, Viander.

Burnley: Beresford, West, Diallo, Cox, Branch, Alan Moore (Weller 71), Cook (McGregor 83), Briscoe, Grant, Taylor, Ian Moore.

Subs Not Used: Michopoulos, Blake, Little.

Goals: West 56.

Att: 12,874

Ref: P Joslin (Nottinghamshire).