SOME defeats you take on the chin, while others hit you like a sledgehammer.

This definitely fell into the latter category after Alan Lee succeeded in a one-man mission to inflict more away-day misery on his former club.

The Clarets were comfortably holding Joe Royle's side at arm's length after Michael Ricketts grabbed his second goal in successive games to give Steve Cotterill's side an interval lead.

But Lee, who openly admits to having no affection for the club he left five years ago, became the new darling of Portman Road through a powerhouse performance and, crucially, his involvement in the two second half goals that turned the game on its head.

And after poaching a classic equaliser, it was the controversial manner of the winning goal that stuck in Burnley's craw and gave Lee plenty to crow about.

The Republic of Ireland striker has beefed up beyond all recognition in the six-and-a-half years since Stan Ternent paid Aston Villa £200,000 for the lightweight striker.

But Lee still hit the deck faster than you can say 'Arjen Robben' following a perfectly legitimate tackle from Michael Duff 10 minutes from the end of this finely-balanced contest.

More experienced referees would surely have seen straight through the theatrical dive to earn a crucial, match-winning penalty.

But a cruel combination of rookie referee Darren Deadman and 24,000 screaming Town fans brought the inevitable whistle and another road trip ended in disaster.

These are penalties that away teams rarely receive. The attacker takes a heavy touch taking him away from goal, then feels the heavy breath on his shoulder and dives to the turf in desperation.

"Never a penalty," was Cotterill's vehement opinion, while opposite number Joe Royle conceded it was "soft" before arguing that it probably balanced things out following the refusal of a stone-waller against Leeds earlier this season.

Those scales of justice were, however, of little interest to aggrieved Burnley, who had Wayne Thomas sent off for arguing the case for the defence while the striker in the dock later confirmed Duff got to the ball first.

Yet if Lee was guilty as charged, then the Clarets were also culpable in letting more points slip through their grasp.

Three months after Steve Cotterill's side put the sparkle into Bonfire Night to last taste victory on the road at Luton, the long wait looked like it could finally be over.

In the opening 45 minutes there was a real determination about the visitors, with twin strikers Ricketts and Noel-Williams carrying a constant threat.

Behind them, there was a first start of 2006 for John Spicer, who came in for Wade Elliott on the right side of midfield. And that triumvirate combined well in the final minute of the half to reward Burnley for all their industry and invention.

Spicer's determination won a 50-50 ball to flick the ball forward for Noel-Williams, whose clever header sent Ricketts scampering unmarked into the penalty area. The former England international showed real composure to open his account for the club with the winner against Plymouth seven days earlier and again he kept his cool to effortlessly slide the ball past Shane Supple.

Ricketts had earlier been the subject of cruel taunts from Town fans and he responded to the goal with a prolonged celebration in front of them that earned him a yellow card.

That was the footnote to a competitive first half that saw goalkeeper Brian Jensen relatively untested, yet hardly tells the tale.

Darren Currie was inches off target with an early free kick, but the real talking point at half-time came just before Ricketts' goal, when the Dane's quick-thinking survival instincts saved the day.

Lee escaped the shackles of Thomas and John McGreal for the first time to connect with Westlake's hanging cross and his header thumped off the inside of the post. Jensen was rooted to his spot on the goal-line fearing the worst, but the big man showed amazing reflexes to hurdle the ball as it flew off the woodwork in his direction.

Any slight contact and the ball would surely be deflected over the line, so the Dane has to be credited with one of the saves of the season for actually jumping out of its path!

Burnley were far more cautious after the break though and luck finally ran out in the 63rd minute when Lee equalised.

Matt Richards' left wing cross floated over a posse of defenders to fall at the Irish striker's feet eight yards out and he controlled the ball, spun last man Jon Harley in a flash and gave Jensen no chance with a classy finish.

The pressure on the Burnley defence instantly mounted, although Ricketts came close with a measured curler following good work by Micah Hyde and Spicer.

And in the 80th minute, following more Town pressure, the Clarets were masters of their own downfall.

Former Town favourite McGreal made his first mistake of the afternoon by backing out of a clearance without seeing Lee stealing in behind him.

Duff's desperation to retrieve the situation saw him clash with the Irish striker and play was held up for three minutes as the defender protested his innocence and team mate Thomas earned his second yellow card for dissent.

But that only delayed the inevitable and Matt Richards duly scored from the spot to break Burnley hearts, just as he did with a stoppage time equaliser in Suffolk last season.