BURNLEY go in search of their sixth win on the run tonight as they travel to Portman Road to take on troubled Ipswich.

The Clarets have recorded five straight wins, three of them away from home, and are unbeaten in 11 as they prepare to face the managerless Suffolk side.

But once again, the financial problems at Turf Moor are obvious as the players face a ten-hour round trip by coach for a game that would have seen them have an overnight stop in previous seasons.

Manager Stan Ternent is hoping that the marathon trip will not slow his players' progress as they look to climb to joint fourth in the first division.

"The players have been doing very well and it is all credit to them," he said as he looked ahead to a second successive clash with a relegated side.

In recent seasons his players have risen to such challenges, they have already won at Leicester and Derby this campaign and while they are buoyant, everyone at Ipswich is deflated.

Tonight's match is the first of five successive home games in the space of just 15 days but it is thought likely it will be the last with Tony Mowbray in charge. Just two wins in ten league games have left the promotion favourites much nearer bottom than top.

Rumours last night suggested that Peter Reid, a good friend of the Burnley boss, is the man being targeted to replace George Burley, sacked earlier this month after eight years at the wheel of the Tractor Boys.

Mowbray has had one win and one defeat in his time in charge but even the 2-1 home success against Sheffield Wednesday saw them hanging on.

In contrast, Ternent's Clarets are on a roll and looking to build on the current run that has seen league wins at home to Walsall and Wimbledon, victories at Sheffield Wednesday and Leicester as well as a Worthington Cup triumph at Huddersfield.

It is nearly two months since Ternent blasted his players for an abject display at Reading that left him bemused by a start of four straight defeats.

Despite the current run, the manager has kept repeating: "We can improve and we will get better." He is still unhappy that the side is not taking a higher percentage of the chances they are making.

The good news for the Burnley boss is that he will be back on familiar territory, down on the touchline, having completed his two match ban from the dug-out.

Despite the fact that both those games were won, with a fan sitting in his seat on both occasions, he has not enjoyed the experience and is desperate to get back alongside Sam Ellis and the other coaches tonight.