Burnley boss Steve Cotterill reckons goalkeeper Danny Coyne is "back to his best" following his long-awaited return to action.

The Wales international was impressive against Leeds last week in his first start for 14 months after recovering from a cruciate knee ligament injury.

Coyne also looked sharp in Saturday's 1-1 Championship draw at Ipswich Town and only an injury-time penalty denied him a clean sheet.

During his lengthy spell on the sidelines, the 33-year-old missed out on Wales' last 12 international fixtures, including World Cup and Euro 2008 qualifiers.

But Cotterill believes Coyne should be looking to snatch back his country's number one jersey after an encouraging return to Burnley's line-up.

"Danny's been out for around 14 months," said Cotterill. "But he's performed well in the two games. He's looked very good in training for a month.

"He probably thought he was ready a month ago, but he wasn't. We had a chat then and, to be fair, that month has done him the power of good.

"I think he looks back to his best now and he will no doubt be looking to reclaim his Welsh jersey."

And the Prestatyn-born stopper admits it is great to be playing again after such a long time out of the game.

Coyne said: "It was funny because I could hardly talk last Wednesday after the Leeds game because it had been so long since I had been shouting through a match. Of course, it was great to be out there."

Burnley remain in the play-off places after picking up a point at Portman Road, although they slipped one position in the Championship to sixth.

Only three points separate the Clarets from Lancashire rivals Preston in second and the league table paints a congested picture, with just nine points separating the Lilywhites and Norwich in 15th position.

As Burnley approach the halfway stage of the season, Coyne is hoping his side can maintain a play-off push.

"Everyone can beat everyone else," said Coyne. "The teams at the bottom seem quite capable of putting two or three goals past the clubs at the top - and have done.

"It's very tight and that's made it very interesting. Our aim is to make the play-offs and we have a chance if we keep our players fit, work hard and maintain our fitness levels.

"We've had a decent start but we know there is a long way to go. The manager has got the players fit.

"He sees that as a big part of our game and that has had its benefits this season."

On the international front, Coyne acknowledges that he must fight off a stiff challenge to win back his Wales place.

He added: "Darren Ward has done well recently and then you've got the likes of Jason Brown at Blackburn, Lewis Price and myself. There's plenty of competition."