GOALS at either end of the match sandwiched 88 tense minutes between them as Norwich battled for a vital 2-0 victory over Burnley at Carrow Road.

It was a case of old and young when it came to the scorers - Dublin setting the ball rolling with a goal from close range in only the second minute and substitute Ched Evans finally sealing victory with an opportunist strike in the 90th.

The win moved City to 16th in the table and six points clear of the bottom three.

Roeder named an unchanged starting line-up for the crucial clash against visitors Burnley, with Gary Doherty and Mo Camara named as substitutes in place of Matthew Gilks and the injured Maceo Rigters.

The Canaries were looking to put some breathing space between themselves and the teams in the bottom three after a disappointing haul of four points from the month of March, with results in no way reflecting some good performances.

For their part Burnley started play just three points outside the play-off positions, thanks in no small part to a solid away record which had seen them win eight times on their travels.

Former Canary Ade Akinbiyi and former England striker Andy Cole started the game on the bench for the Clarets, with Robbie Blake and Kyle Lafferty given the nod to lead the visitors' attack.

City boss Glenn Roeder had called on his side to make a flying start to the match - and they duly obliged by surging into the lead with barely a minute of the match gone.

It was a move started and finished by the Canaries' veteran striker Dion Dublin, with a crucial cameo from team-mate Darren Huckerby.

Dublin played a deft pass over his head which enabled Cureton to race clear having beaten the Burnley offside trap. When Cureton's unselfish cutback was blocked, Huckerby picked up the pieces and jinked to the byeline before slotting the ball into the six-yard box for the arriving Dublin to coolly shoot home past the helpless Jensen from close range.

The Canaries continued to enjoy the more telling possession during an opening 13 minutes when they forced three corners and had the visitors on the back foot on several occasions. Dublin and Huckerby in particular were on the same wavelength during this period.

In the 18th minute Dublin was at it again, playing a delightful first-time chipped ball from Otsemobor's pass into the box which set up Darel Russell for a great chance - but the midfielder scuffed his shot from ten yards and Jensen was able to collect comfortably.

The visitors' first chance of note didn't arrive until the 28th minute, when Joey Gudjohnson unleashed a stinging drive from 25 yards which Marshall dived to his right to palm just wide of the post.

It was a reminder if any were needed that despite City's very positive start to the match their advantage was still only a slender one as Burnley were just beginning to edge their way back into the game in terms of possession.

But it was City who carved out a good chance as the game entered the 40th minute, Huckerby capitalising on a neat interchange of passes involving Cureton and Dublin to cut in from the left-hand touchline and lash a 20-yard effort just over the angle of post and bar.

The game's first booking arrived a minute later as Jon Harley was cautioned for illegally halting a promising break by City skipper Mark Fotheringham. In a lively finish to the half first Lafferty blazed wide from 14 yards after a good pass from Harley exposed the Norwich defence - and then Alexander became the second Burnley full-back to be booked in the space of two minutes for tripping Huckerby.

Half-time: Norwich City 1, Burnley 0

There were no changes at half-time by either side with the game still delicately balanced and all to play for.

Five minutes into the half Robbie Blake made one comment too many for referee Russell Booth's liking and promptly became the third Burnley player to enter his book.

In the next attack Norwich could and really should have extended their lead. Matty Pattison showed brilliant skill to keep the ball in play on the byeline and then good vision to pick out Cureton arriving in the box. But the City top scorer dragged his shot horribly wide from 14 yards out with the goal at his mercy.

In the 57th minute Burnley picked up their fourth caution as Wade Elliott clattered into Ryan Bertrand on the left touchline.

Bertrand responded with a neat dummy in City's next attack to free Darren Huckerby who raced menacingly into the Burnley box before curling an effort wide of the far post.

As the game approached the hour-mark Clarets boss Owen Coyle made the afternoon's first substitution, former Newcastle and Manchester United star Andy Cole replacing Chris McCann.

Cureton went close again in the 61st minute, heading just over after more good work from Matty Pattison on the right flank.

It was to be Cureton's last contribution to the match as he was replaced four minutes later by young striker Ched Evans, on loan from Manchester City.

In the very next attack Evans was involved as he tenaciously scrapped for the ball on the deck and managed to find Fotheringham on the left - and when his ball was cleared only as far as Russell the City midfielder let fly with a great shot which looked goalbound before it cannoned off Dublin and away.

Play switched to the other end and when Lafferty beat the Norwich offside trap it took a brilliant save from Marshall low to his left to deny Burnley an equaliser.

With just over 20 minutes to go Coyle made another change for Burnley, Mahon coming on for Gudjonsson.

The game was set up for a tense finale. Huckerby again created a chance for himself to ease Norwich nerves as he cut inside Alexander and hit a curler which cleared Jensen's crossbar.

On 80 minutes a deep ball from the right by Otsemobor was nodded back across the edge of the box by Dublin to Ched Evans - but the youngster mishit his shot after controlling well and it bobbled just wide of the post.

The nerves seemed to be getting to both sides as the minutes ticked away, with the Norwich defence thankful on several occasions for poor final balls from their Burnley counterparts.

But as the rain swept into Carrow Road a great opportunist strike in the 90th minute from Ched Evans washed away Burnley hopes.

It came after yet another breakaway attack led by Darren Huckerby and set up by substitute Doherty. Huckerby's initial shot was blocked but he picked up the rebound and fed Evans wide on the left. As the young Welshman dragged the ball back and in towards the byeline the angle seemed too acute - to everyone except Evans as he fired a daisy-cutter from 12 yards which fizzed past Jensen via a slight deflection off Burnley skipper Caldwell.

NORWICH CITY: Marshall, Otsemobor, Shackell, Huckerby, Dublin (Doherty 86), Cureton (Evans 65), Pearce, Fotheringham (C), Russell, Bertrand, Pattison Subs not used: Croft, Camara, Gibbs.

BURNLEY: Jensen, Alexander, Harley, Caldwell (C), O'Connor, Gudjonsson (Mahon 69), Elliot, McCann (Cole 59), Lafferty, Blake, Unsworth Subs not used: Kiraly, Akinbiyi, Randall.