WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE sitting pretty at the top of the Championship today, albeit in the hope that Wigan Athletic drew or lost, Burnley was not Ipswich Town’s ideal sparring partner on Saturday. Last season, these two teams produced a whopping 13 goals in two bouts and this was reflected in the bookmakers’ predictions, with a 0-0 draw priced at a generous 10-1 in some outlets.

Generous, because this year there was never going to be a repeat of the 6-1 drubbing that Ipswich gave Burnley at Portman Road almost exactly a year ago. For one, Burnley’s Lancashire pride would never stand for it. But, more obviously, under Steve Cotterill, Burnley have fashioned the meanest defence in the league, having conceded just one away goal previous to Saturday’s encounter. It is a sign of the challenge ahead of the manager, though, that with Frank Sinclair and Michael Duff both on four yellow cards, had one of them been booked against Ipswich, he would have substituted the other to avoid the risk of having both suspended at the same time. With a full-time squad of just 20, it was a risk he could little afford to take.

Burnley will have to share their defensive record with Leeds United for this week, although it was only relinquished after a final 15 minutes likened by Cotterill to the shoot-out at The Alamo. Burnley had gone ahead on 19 minutes when Micah Hyde seized upon a mistake made by Richard Naylor. Hyde crossed the ball to Robbie Blake, who produced an admirable finish to see the ball past Lewis Price.

For 70 minutes, they battled hard to hold the advantage and, indeed, until those final few minutes when Ipswich hit the crossbar four times, Burnley had had the better chances. Blake always looked to threaten, but his failure to convert more than one was almost brutally punished by Ipswich. Matthew Richards scored the equaliser after he found the ball loose in the box and curved it sweetly into the top corner. Seconds later, the home side could have had a winner when Tommy Miller’s shot came off the bar and post, only to be followed up by Pablo Couñago, who forced a brilliant one-handed save from Price.

But as it stands, Burnley remain undefeated away and Ipswich have yet to lose at Portman Road. Afterwards, Cotterill rued his side’s failure to strike the decisive blow. “We could have scored three or four goals easily, we’ve just got to be more ruthless in the final third,” he said. “We’ve missed chances like that week in week out and that one’s come back to haunt us.”

Criticising the visiting side’s time-wasting tactics, in Joe Royle’s view, there should have been eight minutes of added time, not the five calculated by the fourth official. He said: “I thought it was quite fitting that we scored our equaliser while one of their players was feigning injury again. So, sometimes there is justice.”