Burnley 1 Ipswich 2

TEENAGE sensation Connor Wickham rounded off his perfect birthday week with a goal at Turf Moor.

Ipswich's England Under-21 starlet turned 18 on Thursday and hit the second goal on Saturday to rock the Clarets' play-off hopes.

Wickham beamed: "Saturday's goal was the icing on the cake for my birthday week. It's nice to score any goal. I was in the right place at the right time and managed to finish it.

"Promotion is probably a bit too far now but we're playing for pride and we want to finish as high as we can - that's the aim."

After a bright start from Burnley during which Ross Wallace blasted wide, the Tractor Boys took a firm grip of the game with two goals inside seven minutes midway through the first half.

The breakthrough came in the 17th minute when Gareth McAuley headed Jimmy Bullard's corner back across goal and there was skipper David Norris to crash home his 10th goal of the season.

The talented Wickham then headed in his seventh so far this term after beating Lee Grant from Norris' well-flighted cross.

It looked all over for the hosts at the interval but they did show more fight in the second half.

And after Dean Marney and Nathan Delfouneso had gone close, Jay Rodriguez smashed in from 20 yards to at least reduce the arrears.

Ipswich boss Paul Jewell admitted: "We've still seven games to go and there's plenty left to play for.

"Players will be playing for their futures, for the club, and for all our fans who travel all these miles to come and watch us.

"I don't want players to be wanting a rest yet and that won't be happening."

For Clarets boss Eddie Howe, it is now just one point from the last possible 12 as their play-off chase is faltering.

Howe moaned: "We have to be mentally stronger or else people will start to doubt us.

"Teams are starting to suss us out.

"We need to be turning the tide quickly because time is running out."

SUN STAR MAN - DAVID NORRIS (Ipswich). Skipper led from the front.

Carl Long (The Sun)