IT was on Friday afternoon when I was asked for my thoughts on Burnley’s game with Hull the following day.

“Last orders in the last chance saloon,” was my reply.

And so it was that after an initial wobble, Brian Laws and his charges staggered to the bar and ordered a double shot of hope.

Hard on the heels of the no-show against the old enemy and the horror-show against Manchester City, nobody could have envisaged such a result.

In fact, after Burnley gift-wrapped Kevin Kilbane an opening goal and presented the Tigers with a number of opportunities in the opening 15 minutes, nobody could have seen anything coming other than another good hiding.

It’s difficult to isolate one incident as being the game’s turning point.

Was it Graham Alexander and Brian Jensen’s robust exchange of views?

Maybe it was Michael Duff giving blood for the cause and returning to the game a bandaged hero?

More likely it was Martin Paterson’s take, swivel and shot to level the scores which stoked the fires.

Whatever it was, the switch was flicked, the fuse lit.

Wade Elliott began playing like we all know he can, David Nugent embarked on mazy runs and Alexander sliced home his brace of penalties with the kind of flair which even Brazilians may have deemed over-audacious.

So, just as the manager promised, Burnley have recorded victory away from Turf Moor.

Naturally, it’s desperately disappointing that it’s taken so long, but at least the Clarets will not end the campaign without an away win.

Of course, once the euphoria of recording our first double of the season had receded, the Premier League table still made grim reading.

Still, if Saturday proved anything, it was that there is still a bit of fight left in the players.

Such a revelation will come as a shock to those who witnessed the previous two capitulations, yet where there is life there is still hope.

What Burnley must do now is build on Saturday’s result.

Sunderland have secured top-flight football for another term with their form at the Stadium of Light this season.

Yet safety can do funny things to a team and Burnley must perform as they did against Hull while hoping that the Black Cats have one eye on their summer holidays.

The odds on Burnley plying their trade with the elite next season may still be somewhere between slim and none, but they aren’t dead just yet.