STEVE Cotterill today spoke of his relief after it was revealed keeper Brian Jensen suffered no lasting damage following the injury at Watford on Saturday.

Jensen fell in agony clutching his throat after an innocuous-looking collision with Hornets striker Darius Henderson just before the end of the game. Referee Matt Messias let play continue despite the Burnley stopper lying motionless in the penalty area for almost a minute before allowing him treatment. Watford scored from the move to wrap up a 3-1 win.

Jensen was stretchered off and taken to hospital, but he was well enough to travel back to Lancashire with the team.

But he will miss tomorrow's Carling Cup clash with Carlisle at Turf Moor.

Cotterill said: "Brian is okay. He's uncomfortable but okay and there is no long-term damage so that's a bonus. He will be pretty sore and pretty stiff for a little while. He was a bit rough yesterday.

"We waited at Watford for him after he went to hospital, but he came back on the bus with us. He will be okay sooner rather than later, but there's nothing you can do but rest.

"You just have to leave him because he can't play with that. He probably can't look in the wing mirror on his car at the moment, let alone play. He will be struggling for a little while and we will just have to wait and see how he is. But as regards a replacement, that isn't a problem. It's not that Danny Coyne is replacing Brian, it's just the way it works. They have been fighting it out and it's that close a call between them that the goalkeeping situation is irrelevant.

"That is the least of my worries."

Cotterill admitted he feared the worst as he went to Jensen's aid at Vicarage Road.

Asked if he feared for his keeper when he ran onto the field,he said: "Yes I did.

"What am I going to do about the rules there? The goalkeeper is down on the floor, he's coughing and spluttering, he could have been dying. That's why the referee's apologised after the game.

"I thought up until then the referee had a decent game. Maybe he was under a bit of pressure because he gave us a penalty - which I thought was a cast iron penalty - and maybe he was under pressure then.

"It's an awful job for him but to be fair he went up massively in my estimations at the end of the game when he came over and apologised."

Jensen travelled back with the team after the match.

But Cotterill was quick to deflect any blame from the Watford players. He added: "I don't know if the players would know the severity of the injury.

"He was on the ground a long time. The ball's come out and he (Jensen) was led on the floor. The boy's had a touch, he's had another touch he's put it across the goal.

"It's run out on the other side of the goal and all this with the keeper still on the floor. Devlin's had to run to it and clip it back in.

"Micah Hyde's had a header and then there was another little skirmish and then the ball's come to Spring who's put it in the net. I don't put any blame on the Watford players.

"But we're gutted about it, absolutely gutted. And it came in a bad time in the game for us as well. "At 2-1 down I thought we were the only team that was going to score. It was bad enough conceding a third goal but it was the manner in which we conceded it."

The referee at the centre of the controversey, Matt Messias, gave his version of events. He said: "The keeper went down, a foul was not committed on him. The players didn't kick the ball out of play and a goal resulted.

"At the time I didn't realise he was badly injured. It was an unfortnate incident."