Zian Flemming heads miserly Burnley past Blackburn in drama-free derby

Winning derbies is not about the quality of performance, it is about the result and Burnley fans will not be complaining after Zian Flemming earned them the points against their bitter rivals Blackburn in a tight but underwhelming encounter.

The dire nature of the first hour was forgotten, in the away end at least, when Flemming dived to head home Bashir Humphrey’s cross in front of 4,000 Burnley supporters. It was the first opening of note in the entire match and the Dutchman should be commended for still being alert after having next to no involvement up to that point.

Even with half an hour to go, it felt like that was the winner. Rovers, who have not beaten Burnley in the league since March 2010, were blunt and workmanlike in their efforts and unable to test the best defence in the Championship. Apart from one goalmouth scramble after a corner, James Trafford had a simple afternoon.

Burnley arrived off the back of two goalless draws, something that did not need much imagination to comprehend based on events here. They are defensively sound, having now kept 17 clean sheets while conceding only nine goals in 26 matches. At the other end, they struggled to create anything, although they work on a strategy where only one chance is enough to settle the fixture, as Flemming proved.

Ewood Park was sold out and no one inside would have expected it to be a spectacular encounter despite the fact the teams are aiming for promotion. They could not, however, have anticipated how poor the first half would be. Burnley’s Josh Cullen and Todd Cantwell exchanged late fouls to give the impression this was a blood and thunder derby, rather than the cautious affair it turned out to be.

Derbies are supposed to be a day of hero and villains but neither side looked like producing anything so dramatic. Blackburn had seven corners before the break but did not threaten as neither side managed a shot on target. The closest to villainous behaviour came from the fourth official Stephen Martin, who cruelly added one minute on for everyone to endure.

Blackburn had difficulties in the final third, as Makhtar Gueye replaced the injured Yuki Ohashi, one of a number of key absentees for John Eustace. Gueye has as many red cards as he does league goals this season. His solitary dismissal came in the reverse fixture and that is still the most trouble he has caused Burnley this season. The Senegalese striker did not lack eagerness but was not a concern to Burnley as he blustered without threatening in their fifth straight match without a victory, while the Clarets are 13 unbeaten.