THERE is a growing clamour for a new Bank Holiday to be introduced into the English calendar.

Some wise souls have put forward VE Day as an historic date to let the nation celebrate with their loved ones.

Others think we should fall in line with Scotland and keep the festive spirit flowing into January 2, allowing the effects of all that partying to wear off for another 24 hours.

Take a straw poll in Burnley and the suggestion might well be to delay any announcement and finally honour the day Burnley win at Sheffield United.

Now that really would be the party to end all parties!

One win in 24 visits, the last coming in 1973 when Jimmy Adamson presided over the last Burnley team to compete in the top division, is a quite astonishing statistic.

And one that never really looked like being dented once Neil Shipperley got the Bramall Lane party started to set the Blades on course for another routine victory.

As always, there were ifs, buts and maybes. If only Ade Akinbiyi's early shot had crept in at the far post, while maybe things could have been different if Paddy Kenny had not pulled off a stunning save to deny John McGreal with the Clarets trailing by a solitary goal.

But the bottom line is that Neil Warnock's side deserved their latest comfortable win over the Clarets, in turn inflicting the heaviest league defeat on Steve Cotterill's side since QPR won by the same margin at Loftus Road in October 2004.

The opening 20 minutes apart, the flashing Blades were smarter in possession, snappier in the tackle and sublime in front of goal.

Especially two-goal Shipperley and striker partner Danny Webber, who both combined to epitomise United's superiority with an awesome display of attacking intent that would have given Burnley's back line nightmares long into the weekend.

Thankfully, they won't be tested as seriously again all season. And if Neil Warnock carries out his threat to add (yet) another striker to the Bramall Lane payroll in the New Year, then there's every reason to think this could finally be the year he steers the Blades into the Premiership.

The Clarets had no answer to the best side - by quite some distance - they have had the misfortune to cross paths with this season.

Changes had been made, with skipper Frank Sinclair filling the left back role vacated by Jon Harley, whose suspension denied him a first return to Bramall Lane.

Nathan Dyer also returned to the starting line up against the promotion chasers, who had shown vague signs of being jittery recently as they seek a top two finish.

One win in four games, coming in last weekend's Steel City derby, had seen Warnock's men toppled from their throne at the top of the Championship.

But they made a mockery of their recent form to race out of sight by the break.

The electric-quick Webber set the tone with a rising drive at the second attempt that Brian Jensen was equal to.

The former Watford striker was looking a real threat with his blistering

pace and he really should have found the target when he showed Keith Lowe a clean pair heels and blazed over the angle from 12 yards.

Burnley weathered that early storm well though and they carved out their

Best opening of the game in the 22nd minute when Garreth O'Connor's terrific punched pass sent Akinbiyi clear.

The red-hot Clarets striker looked to have found the bottom corner with a low, drive across Kenny, but the Blades keeper made a magnificent one-handed save low to his left to fingertip the ball just wide.

That proved crucial in the 28th minute when Shipperley opened the scoring with a screamer.

The evergreen striker received the ball with his back to goal on the 18-yard line, ignored Quinn's appeals for a one-two and spun to rifle the ball

high into Jensen's goal.

Burnley came within a whisker of an immediate reply when Kenny dropped to his left to somehow claw McGreal's point-blank header off the line.

But in the 34th minute, it was pretty much game over when Nick Montgomery looped a dangerous ball into the box, Craig Short headed the ball back to the near post and Webber had the easiest of finishes with a two-yard header.

Burnley regrouped at half time and Garreth O'Connor carried the brief threat to the hosts, first with a drive from distance and then an ambitious 30-yard free kick straight down straight down Kenny's throat.

A double substitution on the hour, with Gifton Noel-Williams replacing John Spicer and Garreth O'Connor being sacrificed for Graham Branch, coincided with Burnley now beginning to enjoy plenty of possession.

The glimmer of hope was there when Noel-Williams' shot was blocked just as he as he switched the ball back onto his right foot.

And Akinbiyi missed undoubtedly Burnley's best chance to make it a nervy final 15 minutes for the hosts, spooning the ball over from 12 yards after Short horribly misjudged the flight of Michael Duff's inch-perfect cross.

But typically, United made Burnley pay dearly with nine minutes left to wrap up the victory in style.

Chris Armstrong exposed the acres of space down the left as Burnley pressed and crossed for Shipperley to take one expert touch at the far post and fire the ball across Jensen into the bottom corner with the second.