First Division: Notts Forest 2 - 0 Burnley
Michael Dawson and David Johnson showed Nottingham Forest are not going to give up their play-off place lightly.
There were fears around the City Ground that Forest's young squad were set for capitulation after picking up one point from 12 but their victory over a stubborn Burnley was as vital as it was timely.
Forest looked tired after six games in 16 days but were given a helping hand after two awful errors by Burnley's goalkeeper Nik Michopoulos. The Greek allowed a fierce but speculative 30-yard drive from Dawson to spill through his hands for Forest's opener and then in injury-time it was his weak clearance that allowed Johnson to give the scoreline a flattering look with a second, his 26th goal of a prolific campaign.
Forest were more than grateful for Michopoulos's misfortune for it was hardly a classic performance but at this tense stage of the season results are all that matters. This and results elsewhere ordained that Forest have all but guaranteed their place among the top six but their manager Paul Hart is still desperate for one more victory to dispense with the calculators.
"We go out to win every match but I won't be happy unless we get another three points," he said. "Mathematically we probably need a point but I want us to make sure of the play-offs ourselves and not rely on anyone else.
"This result has given us a big edge. Ipswich and Reading's defeats allow us to breathe a sigh of relief but there is no point in us accepting a top six finish yet. Now is the time to re-charge batteries because my players have gone through a lot in the last two weeks."
Burnley were guilty of not taking full advantage of Forest's tired performance and should have made the game safe before the interval. Their debutant midfielder Richard Chaplow wasted a glorious chance after neatly sidestepping Dawson in the penalty area and Ian Moore contrived to miss an open goal by heading against the crossbar.
Forest were hardly convincing in the second half but Dawson's freak strike calmed an impatient home crowd before Johnson raced through to clinch the points.
Burnley's manager Stan Ternent refused to castigate Michopoulos: "It was a lapse in concentration but he had been outstanding before that."