IAN Moore is set to undergo knee surgery that could sideline the Burnley striker for up to two months.

Clarets boss Steve Cotterill broke the bombshell news in the wake of the battling 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town on Saturday.

Moore has been playing through the pain barrier in recent weeks after a scan revealed wear and tear on the knee joint that is restricting his movement.

Cotterill said: "Ian will be going in to have a knee operation.

"It's a problem that he had last season and it's come back again this season so we need to get the operation done.

"Had I known about it in June, I would have had him in during the summer even if that meant him missing the start of the season.

"The problem is with his patella tendon and a piece of bone that calcifies and causes a sharp pain whenever he plants his foot and I think they have to cut the bone out.

"Until he is opened up we won't know the severity of it and whether it's weeks or months."

The dilemma now is deciding exactly when to send Moore for the operation. The Clarets have just two out-and-out strikers on the books and face two crucial Championship games at Turf Moor this week, against Coventry tomorrow and then in front of the Sky cameras against Derby County on Friday night.

Should Moore battle on alongside Robbie Blake for those two games, it would at least give Cotterill breathing space to sign a replacement striker before Premiership side Aston Villa arrive for the Carling Cup third round tie in eight days' time.

The Burnley chief added: "He is actually booked in for the operation today but whether we defer that for a week because we have two home league games, we still have to decide."

Meanwhile, Cotterill had mixed emotions after Matt Richards stole a point for Ipswich at Portman Road with a dramatic stoppage time equaliser.

He said: "You would take a point here, but when it happens late in the game like that it feels like a kick in the teeth."