For the second time since 1976, Burnley will play top-flight soccer in England beginning next season.
The Clarets sealed promotion today with a 2-0 victory over Wigan that took Burnley to 86 points, providing an insurmountable eight point lead over third place Derby County with just two matches to go.
Burnley got on the table in the 22nd minute when Ashley Barnes scored a sublime goal seemingly out of nothing when Kieran Trippier found Danny Ings. The 21-year-old forward then fed a pass into the overlapping path of Dean Marney, who delivered a first-time cross that Barnes smashed into the roof of the net.
Twenty minutes and a Wigan header off the bar by Marc-Antoine Fortune later, Burnley got their second goal from a Michael Kightly free-kick. The Stoke loanee struck a fierce free-kick from a tight angle that took a slight skim off of Stephen Crainey’s head but was always destined for the back of the net.
Both sides spurned chances in the second half but Burnley held on and now they join Leicester City in next season’s Premier League. The third and final side will be determined during the May 24th Championship Play-Off final.
