STEVE Cotterill vowed to ignore the critics queuing up to blast Burnley as boring.

Town manager Joe Royle became the latest to question the Clarets tactics following the 1-1 draw at Ipswich on Saturday.

Wholly unjustified criticism is taking the gloss off a series of battling away performances that has so far seen the Clarets take points off - and come close to beating - three of the division's top four clubs, including leaders Wigan, second placed Reading and now Town.

In addition, Burnley have won at eighth placed Watford and drawn away to relegated Premiership side Leicester City.

"People are going to criticise and there is nothing I can do about that," insisted Cotterill, whose wafer-thin squad is proudly sitting ninth in the Coca Cola Championship.

"We have to play with what we have and it's been like that all season. It would be nice to have a few more bodies, but what are we meant to do? If we haven't got it, we can't afford them."

Royle was especially critical of what he perceived to be time-wasting tactics at Portman Road, but Cotterill insisted: "I am not going to tell my players to time waste.

"If they are taking the sting out of the game because Ipswich are a good side, then that's different.

"They will give teams a good thumping at Portman Road, but we haven't deliberately gone out to waste time.

"I did say to the boys afterwards that we have to speed things up because sometimes players can make it obvious and that antagonises referees and fourth officials and leads to time being added on. But we won't be the first to have had five minutes added on."

Ironically, Town equalised during the first minute of stoppage time when Matt Richards cancelled out Robbie Blake's 19th minute opener.

The goal came as Ipswich played on despite appeals by Burnley to kick the ball out of play as defender Mo Camara was lying injured deep in his own penalty area.

But Cotterill was honest enough to admit: "I don't know if I would have kicked it out either.

"It was still a great finish by the lad and you have to hold your hands up because there's nothing Danny Coyne could have done about that.

"After the goal, it was like the Alamo from the 91st to the 95th minute, but we could have won the game well before that - we could have scored three or four goals easily.

"We have to be more ruthless in the final third because the game could have been over.

"That's what we have done week in and week out though away from home. We have missed chances and this time it came back to haunt us.

"Obviously at the end we are disappointed, but that is probably a measure because we came here last year and got a good hiding, so I'm pleased that didn't happen this year.

"You would take a point here, but when it happens late in the game like that it's a kick in the teeth."