THERE were reminders everywhere, most of them stark.

Ghosts from Cherries’ past could be seen on the pitch and on the road signs.

In recent years, trips to these parts for Cherries followers have invariably taken in visits to the likes of Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and Preston.

Almost five years to the day, a dispiriting 3-0 defeat at nearby Accrington had left the club 12 points adrift of safety in League Two. There was also the ignominious FA Cup exit at Stanley’s ramshackle headquarters in 2003.

Who knows, had Eddie Howe not waved his magic wand in 2009, Cherries supporters could well have been slumming it in Macclesfield or Halifax being force-fed a diet of Conference fayre.

However, two promotions in a short space of time under the current Cherries boss have seen supporters dusting off their route maps and rediscovering some old haunts this season.

More than 700, with a good number taking advantage of free coach travel, embarked on a first sortie to the North West since they had witnessed the League One title being snatched from under Cherries’ noses at Tranmere in April.

On current form, the majority would probably have headed up the M6 more in hope than expectation, with Cherries’ unpredictable start to life in the Championship certain to face a stern test against the leaders, who were bidding to protect an unbeaten league record on their own patch which stretched back to March.

And while the bookmakers’ odds were weighted heavily in favour of a home victory, history was also on the side of the Clarets with Cherries having failed to register a win at Turf Moor in nine attempts in the league and having suffered three FA Cup defeats at the venue.

The travelling numbers for the near 600-mile round trip may have been swelled by fans keen to show their support for manager Howe and assistant Jason Tindall on their return to Burnley for the first time since they had upped sticks some 13 months previously.

Howe and Tindall, who had held the reins for 21 months, also featured for Cherries on their last league visit to Turf Moor when Mel Machin’s men suffered a 2-1 reverse in September 1999, a season which ended with Burnley winning promotion to the second flight alongside Preston.

Since then, the Clarets have more than held their own in the Championship, finishing in the top eight on five occasions and enjoying a season in the Premier League thanks to former Cherries star Wade Elliott’s golden goal in the 2010 play-off final.

Fuelled by goals from Charlie Austin, the ex-Poole Town striker who slipped through Howe’s grasp due to Cherries’ transfer embargo in 2009 before becoming his first signing when he took over at Turf Moor in January 2011, Burnley finished a respectable 13th and 11th in the past two seasons.

Their starting line-up yesterday included no fewer than five Howe recruits, among them Sam Vokes and Danny Ings, both of whom have played a pivotal part in Cherries’ recent history – and both of whom would play a defining role in the outcome of this game.

Vokes, sold by Cherries when the club was in administration in 2008, provided the assist for Ings, bought by Howe for £1million during the pre-Maxim Demin era in August 2011, to score his 14th goal of the season, his late leveller shattering the visitors’ hopes of springing a surprise.

Ings’s opportunist strike cancelled out Tokelo Rantie’s stunning opener as Cherries were denied an early contender for result of the season, having been within six minutes of downing the leaders in their own back yard.

It was a point Cherries may well have settled for ahead of the game but one which, ultimately, would have been tinged with disappointment for Howe’s men after they had gone so close to upsetting the formbook.

And while some supporters may question the need to keep harping back to the past, this result arguably said more than any other about from where Cherries have come and how quickly they have got there. “When you are 1-0 up with not long left, of course you are disappointed not to win,” said Howe. “But I thought it was a really honest game between two very honest teams.”

A solid rearguard action saw Cherries reach the break on level terms with Brett Pitman’s acrobatic clearance preventing Jason Shackell’s thumping header from crossing the line midway through the first half.

Rantie, who would have been disappointed not to have hit the target with an effort after just 95 seconds, atoned with interest when he opened the scoring with a thunderous right-foot effort from around 20 yards, the striker rolling his marker and letting fly after latching on to Pitman’s flick.

Lee Camp needed two goes at saving from Vokes after his snapshot had looked destined to squeeze in at the near post before the hosts had a loud ‘seen-them-given’ penalty appeal ignored after Ings had gone to ground under an Elliott Ward challenge. Howe felt referee Mick Russell’s decisions to turn down two Burnley penalty shouts had been correct.

After another Rantie shot had bounced the wrong side of the upright, the Clarets levelled following a move straight out of the route-one coaching manual. Junior Stanislas slung a hopeful high ball into the danger zone where Vokes outjumped Steve Cook and Ings gave Ward the slip before guiding his effort past a helpless Camp, Cherries’ only defensive aberration.

Goalkeeper Camp then saved the day in the closing stages when his top-drawer save saw him claw away a goalbound Keith Treacy free-kick.

Star man - Brett Pitman

Restored to the starting line-up following five games on the bench, the Jerseyman produced arguably the most altruistic performance of his Cherries career.

His indefatigable display also saw him play a crucial role both in attack and defence, with two telling contributions proving pivotal as Cherries claimed a share of the points.

Firstly, Pitman was in the right place at the right time in the six-yard box to acrobatically clear Jason Shackell’s goalbound header off the line in the first half.

Then, the striker, who pressed Burnley at every opportunity and ran his heart out for the team, provided the assist for Tokelo Rantie to score his stunning opener.

Central defensive pairing Elliott Ward and Steve Cook were also magnificent, their only blemish coming when both were culpable in the lead up to the Burnley equaliser.

Match facts

Cherries: Camp 8, Francis 7, Cook 8, Ward 8, Daniels 7, Grabban 7, O’Kane 7.5 (MacDonald, 90), Arter 7.5, Pugh 7 (Hughes, 87), Rantie 8 (Thomas, 83), Pitman 8.5.

Unused subs: Elphick, Surman, Harte, Jalal (g/k).

Booked: Arter, O’Kane, Daniels, Hughes.

Clarets: Heaton, Trippier, Shackell, Duff, Mee, Kightly (Treacy, 60), Marney, Jones, Arfield (Stanislas, 75), Ings, Vokes.

Unused subs: Lafferty, Stock, Long, Edgar, Cisak (g/k).

Referee: Mick Russell (Hertfordshire).

Attendance: 12,221 (inc 717 away supporters).