EMILE ACCEPTS A LATE INVITE; Heskey's first goal of season rescues Villa.

BURNLEY 1 Caldwell 9 mins ASTON VILLA 1 Heskey 86 mins From MAT KENDRICK at Turf Moor EMILE Heskey arrived fashionably late to gatecrash Fortress Turf Moor with a last-gasp equaliser for Aston Villa as Burnley lived up to their reputation as the Premier League's most unwelcoming hosts.

The England battering ram struck in the 86th minute to earn a point just as Martin O'Neill's Champions League chasers looked like leaving Lancashire emptyhanded following a below-par performance.

Steven Caldwell's ninth-minute header seemed destined to give Owen Coyle's top-flight newcomers a sixth win from seven games at home and add Villa to a list of scalps that already included Manchester United.

"I think that on our second-half performance we deserved it," said O'Neill. "Wewere stodgy in the first half andwe had no reason to be because we were coming on the back of a really great win with confidence really high.

"I know that confidence around Turf Moor is very high with their performances, particularly at home. I thought Burnley adjustedmuch better to the conditions in the first half than we did.

"They got the goal and it was not the best goal from our viewpoint and it knocked us back a little bit.

"We just didn't get going at all until the second half, but overall I thought the point was well merited."

A year after Villa embarked on a record run of seven successive league away wins with a famous victory at Arsenal, there were few signs of O'Neill's happy travellers yesterday afternoon.

Few visiting teams have entered into a turf war at Turf Moor andWigan are the only side to take three points at Burnley this season.

Villa know what it's like to lose at home to the Latics and their first-half performance yesterdaywas downthere with their depressing opening-day defeat.

The claret and blue army were hoping for a display to banish memories of their last visit to Burnley when they suffered a humiliating 3-1 League Cup exit under David O'Leary just over five years ago.

But instead they got a frustrating reminder of their last trip to Lancashire, the September setback against Blackburn atEwoodPark after again failing tomatch their hosts' desire and determination.

Brad Friedel was given a hostile reception by the partisan home fans for his Blackburn allegiances and the jeers turned to cheerswhen the veteran keeper was caught in no-man's land for the opener.

Richard Dunne's nightmare week following Ireland's controversialWorld Cup heartbreakwent from bad toworsewhen he also failed to deal with the danger on the edge of the six-yard area.

Ironically, after all the furore over Thierry Henry using his palm to guide France to South Africa in midweek, itwas Dunne's inability to handle Caldwell which proved costly.

Robbie Blake swung over a free-kick from the left and Caldwell got the better of both Friedel and Dunne to bundle the ball in, although there was more than a hint of offside about the goal.

Rather than spark Villa into life the concession simply lifted Burnley's biggest home crowd of the season with the Championship play-off winners continuing to pile on the pressure.

Andre Bikey threatened with a dipping volley after a Chris Eagles cross was laid off by Stephen Fletcher before the Scottish striker failed to keep a header down from Blake's ball.

Eagles hit a shot which skidded into Friedel's arms and Bikey nodded a good chance wide before his strike was deflected off target after clipping Steve Sidwell.

Stranded Villa's best - and only - chance of the first half came when Gabby Agbonlahor outpaced Brian Jensen to reach Stiliyan Petrov's long ball and, with the Burnley stopper stranded, teed up Ashley Young whose curling effort from the leftwas just too high.

Agbonlahor might have got the better off the formerWest Brom keeper on that occasion but the Beast bit back to thwart the Brummie striker early in the second half after he burst on to John Carew's flick-on.

Villa were marginally better after the break and created a host of other opportunities without ever approaching the form they showed in the five-star victory over Bolton a fortnight ago.

There was a half-hearted penalty appeal when the ball hit Blake's hand at the near post while Sidwell missed a sitter at the back post when he headed wide Young's free-kick.

James Milner was ruled offside as he was brought down by Jensen after latching on to Carew's ball and the former Newcastle star also hooked wide when Stewart Downing's right-side free-kick found him at the far post.

Downing's surprise debutwas the silver lining on a cloudy day beside the Pennines and the ex-Middlesbrough winger also had a shot blocked after returning a month ahead of schedule.

But he had to play second fiddle to fellow sub Heskey, who silenced his critics, at least for the time being, with a poacher's finish to nod in Milner's cross from close range for his first goal of the season.

Burnley were still dangerous throughout the second period and Dunne, having been cautioned for a first-half foul on Tyrone Mears, might have been sent off had referee Howard Webb spotted his tug on Fletcher.

BURNLEY (4-5-1): Jensen; Mears, Carlisle, Caldwell, Jordan; Eagles (McDonald, 69), Alexander, Elliott, Bikey, Blake (Gudjonsson, 81); Fletcher (Nugent, 74). Subs not used: Penny, Duff, Thompson, Guerrero. VILLA (4-4-2): Friedel; L Young (Heskey, 80), Cuellar, Dunne, Warnock; Milner, Petrov, Sidwell (Downing, 70), A Young; Agbonlahor, Carew. Subs not used: Delph, Reo-Coker, Shorey, Guzan, Beye.

VILLA STAR MAN: Emile Heskey.

CAPTION(S):

BEAST A BLOCKER: Brian 'The Beast' Jensen keeps out James Milner WADING IN: Wade Elliott challenges Villa skipper Stiliyan Petrov RISING TO THE OCCASION: Emile Heskey gets above the Burnley defence to head home the Villa equaliser POINT MADE: John Carew, Richard Dunne and Stiliyan Petrov congratulate Emile Heskey on his goal