Burnley run riot to bolster promotion push

Marcus Edwards scored on his first Burnley start as the Championship promotion chasers crushed Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 on Friday.

Scott Parker's side shattered Wednesday's resistance when on-loan Sporting Lisbon winger Edwards struck just before halftime at Turf Moor.

Burnley took advantage of that crucial breakthrough with second-half goals from Josh Brownhill, Connor Roberts and Manuel Benson.

With leaders Leeds hosting second-placed Sheffield United on Monday, the third-placed Clarets moved within two points of the automatic promotion places.

Wednesday, hoping to push for a play-off place, missed several chances to stop Burnley extending their impressive run of 12 games and over 1 000 minutes without conceding in the second tier.

Burnley, unbeaten in 21 league games, have matched the Championship record of 25 clean-sheets in a season, set by QPR in the 2010-11 campaign.

In Friday's other game, George Earthy netted a 10-minute brace as Bristol City came from behind to move into the play-off places with a 2-1 win against Middlesbrough at Ashton Gate.

West Ham loanee Earthy, a 63rd-minute replacement for Anis Mehmeti, fired in from Cam Pring's 72nd minute cross and then tapped home the rebound after Scott Twine's 82nd-minute free-kick came back off the crossbar.

Middlesbrough had taken the lead when Tommy Conway scored against his old club after 37 minutes, heading home after Max O'Leary had parried Kelechi Iheanacho's shot into his path.