STEVE Cotterill insists that speculation linking him with a move to join Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth will not sidetrack his attempts to keep Burnley in the play off picture.

The Clarets boss was pounced on by the south coast media following Saturday's creditable draw at Southampton, who lost Redknapp when the Saints boss sensationally quit his post on the eve of the Championship clash.

National media sources had immediately touted a 'dream team' of Redknapp taking charge at Premiership strugglers Portsmouth and appointing good friend Cotterill as his right hand man.

But the Burnley manager was today remaining fully focused on the job in hand at Turf Moor.

"I don't know anything about it. Speculation will not bother me one iota and I will be back in work today," said Cotterill.

"You can't take your eye off what you are doing because as soon as you do, something will go wrong for you and I am not about to do that."

Saturday's draw - the first in 13 games - kept the Clarets on the coat-tails of the play-off chasers one game away from the midway point in the Championship season.

And Cotterill paid tribute to the players who have put Burnley in the mix, along with the sponsors who coughed up to ease Burnley's trip south and contribute to getting a positive result at St Mary's Stadium.

He said: "Massive congratulations to the individuals who sponsored the flight down to Southampton because they have been part of our result.

"They were the same people who flew us down to Plymouth and we didn't do them justice there, but we went back on a happier plane on Saturday night, so a big thank you to them."

Cotterill added: "I think for the size of our club and what we have available to us, our league position is a credit to the players and how they have applied themselves in training and in games.

"We probably have 14 or so big games and if we can get over the next couple of months we can look again. They are going to be difficult months and there are going to be ups and downs in all of them.

"What we need to do is get through that period and find out where we are then. That's when the players themselves can see the daylight, so we will take it one game at a time."