Can we expect a late goal at Portman Road?

It seems an age since we last played a game even though I've seen three Burnley development squad and youth games since that Reading win two weeks ago that brought a real feel good factor to Turf Moor.

It left us going into the international break in first place but we now resume at a ground that has never been too kind to us. We've only ever won there once. That was in January 1970 when Frank Casper scored the only goal of the game to defeat Bobby Robson's team.

We've played there on 14 occasions since, and those are the 14 games I've seen there. Seven of them have ended in defeat; seven have ended in draws and we've suffered on more than one occasion with late goals against that have cost us points.

We've drawn games we should have won and lost games when a draw looked certain. Their winner last year wasn't quite stoppage time, the goal recorded at 87 minutes, but it was a continuation of what has been our lot at Portman Road during the last decade or so.

Danny Ings is looking to continue his good form for the Clarets

This time we go there full of confidence, a confidence that's grown with a seven game unbeaten run in the league, nine if you include the cup games, and that much sought after position at the top of the league.

The only concern over the last couple of weeks has been the news of injuries for our two international strikers arriving back at Turf Moor. Sam Vokes missed the Wales game last Friday and our latest under-21 international Danny Ings was ruled out of the England v Lithuania game on Tuesday, ironically at Ipswich.

The concerns are over. Vokes played on Tuesday and both have returned fit and ready to resume a partnership that has already plundered 17 league and cup goals this season. Apart from the defeat at Brighton and the home draw against Blackburn one or both of them have been on the scoresheet.

Vokes leads the way in the league; he's scored five in the last five games, but Ings, with ten, leads the way overall.

Ings has described going on England duty as being the best week of his life. He wants more of it and knows exactly how he might achieve that.

He said: It is any footballer's ambition to play for their country and it has made me more hungry to come back and carry on my form here and hopefully get selected in the future. The finals are something to aim for, by hopefully keeping my form up and get better each day in training.

"My form for Burnley is the only thing that is going to get me there, so I need to carry on what I did before the international break."

He added: "All the lads went away and had a little break, but we're all back together now and it's important that we keep on going. It's a long journey to Ipswich, but we need to carry on our form and I am sure we will do that. We are top of the league and it's a position that I want to keep. I know the lads too and they are hungry."

For Sean Dyche the team selection, I would think, won't be too difficult. With the international players returning fit I expect the line up to be exactly that which played the entire ninety minutes against Reading.

We should line up: Tom Heaton, Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, Jason Shackell, Ben Mee, Michael Kightly, Dean Marney, David Jones, Scott Arfield, Danny Ings, Sam Vokes. Subs from: Alex Cisak, Kevin Long, Danny Lafferty, David Edgar, Brian Stock, Junior Stanislas, Keith Treacy, Ryan Noble.

Ipswich go into the game in 11th place with 15 points from their 11 games, but their home form is impressive. They've won four out of five which leaves them with the fifth best home record in the division.

Away from home it has been very much a different story with only three points won, from draws at Birmingham, Derby and Sheffield Wednesday.

But it is their home form we need to look at. They've already beaten Millwall, Middlesbrough, Yeovil and Brighton while losing against Leeds back in August.

Overall they've netted 18 league goals, home and away, while conceding 15, but at home the goals are 11-4. David McGoldrick is the man to watch in front of goal. He's scored five of those goals while Daryl Murphy has scored three times.

Ipswich, like us, have no injury problems and their team is likely to be that which drew the last game at Sheffield Wednesday.

If so, the team will be: Dean Gerken, Luke Chambers, Christophe Berra, Tommy Smith, Aaron Cresswell, Paul Anderson, Cole Skuse, Luke Hyam, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Daryl Murphy, David McGoldrick. Subs: Scott Loach, Elliott Hewitt, Carlos Edwards, Anthony Wordsworth, Jay Tabb, Frank Nouble, Tyrone Mings. 

Last Time We Were There

Burnley's visit to Ipswich last season, in November, came at a time when Burnley had won four of the previous five games. Two of those wins had been under caretaker boss Terry Pashley and the other two, against Wolves and Leeds, the first two games for new boss Sean Dyche.

This was his first away game in charge and the 2-1 scoreline brought his first defeat as Burnley manager.

First goal of the season for Sam Vokes

Dyche made his first team change for this game, bringing in Danny Lafferty for Ben Mee who was at least fit to be named as a substitute. It was a concern; Lafferty had endured a nightmare there in the previous season but on this occasion turned in an assured performance.

We were in the ascendancy for much of the first half. We were passing the ball well but chances were at a premium although Martin Paterson should have done much better with the best chance of the half.

We really should have gone in for half time with a lead but it remained 0-0 and paid for that early in the second half although I'm convinced the decision not to award us a free kick for a foul on Lee Grant was very much a wrong one. He was clearly backed into by Daryl Murphy but referee Brown awarded the goal.

It led to our worst spell of the game, but we turned things round with substitutions and really put Ipswich under pressure. Two of those subs brought us an equaliser with ten minutes to go. Junior Stanislas, who wasted so many opportunities, got in one very good cross which Sam Vokes headed in via a defender for his first goal of the season.

Instead of accepting the point we went looking for a winner, and it proved to be our downfall as the third substitute, Marvin Bartley, made a real mess of things and allowed Carlos Edwards to break forward. He found DJ Campbell who made no mistake and it was another Ipswich defeat.

The teams were;

Ipswich: Stephen Henderson, Carlos Edwards, Luke Chambers, Danny Higginbotham, Tommy Smith, Aaron Cresswell, Guirane N'Daw, Nigel Reo-Coker, Richie Wellens (Jay Emmanuel-Thomas 79), Daryl Murphy, DJ Campbell (Bilel Mohsni 89). Subs not used: Scott Loach, Elliott Hewitt, Andy Drury, Jason Scotland, Michael Chopra.

Burnley: Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, Jason Shackell, Danny Lafferty, Brian Stock (Marvin Bartley 65), Dean Marney (Sam Vokes 76), Chris McCann, Ross Wallace (Junior Stanislas 65), Charlie Austin, Martin Paterson. Subs not used: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Ben Mee, Danny Ings.

Previous Games against Ipswich

Click HERE to see all previous results against Ipswich