FRUSTRATED Burnley manager Steve Cotterill revealed how his side had to combat a number of complications going into Saturday's trip to Barnsley.

Robbie Blake was rested after failing to shake off a hamstring problem he sustained at Cardiff City ahead of the international break, while replacement Ade Akinbiyi was ill the night before the 1-1 draw at Oakwell and Kyle Lafferty had an eight-hour delay returning from Sweden, where he had scored his second competitive Northern Ireland goal to secure a 1-1 draw.

"It's not ideal but they are reasons I suppose we have to be okay with a point - but we're only okay with it," said Cotteirll.

"Robbie tweaked his hamstring at Cardiff in the first half, and he's had some treatment and he's trained, but it's not quite right.

"The last time we went with a player where it wasn't quite right, in Chris McCann at Bristol City, we ended up losing him for three weeks.

"Last time we played seven games in 21 days, now we play six games in 24 days. If you lose Blakey then we lose him for the three weeks. Three weeks doesn't sound so bad if it's Saturday-Saturday-Saturday. But being what it is in our country we have to fit a million and one games in, and there was absolutely no way we were going to put him under that risk.

"The worst part about it was after we did all our team-work yesterday, we put Ade in the team, and Ade had been sick overnight.

"Then we had Kyle who ended up having an eight-hour delay coming back from Sweden."

The Clarets boss added: "The dressing room is a little bit disappointed, but Barnsley have been on a great run this season.

"Maybe at the beginning of the week if you'd have said you'll come here and get a point, we might have accepted that. But once you see the game I think maybe a neutral might say we deserved to win."