THERE are several images of George Burley among the sepia-tinted newspaper cuttings hung along Portman Road's labyrinthine corridors How he must yearn for those happy days.

Burley is highly regarded in East Anglia for his performances as a player in the late 1970s and early 1980s as well as his shrewd management from 1994- 2002.

But he has now lost all five of his subsequent visits as a manager with Derby and Saints.

Ipswich, meanwhile, now need only three more successive home wins to equal the record Burley helped set under Bobby Robson in 1980-81 after goals in each half from Jon Walters and Pablo Counago ensured their 12th on the bounce.

But it was not a comfortable a win as was feared.

Saints restored some much-needed pride in their first away match since their 5-0 mauling at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday.

They were mighty unfortunate to be behind at the break and could even have taken a 17th-minute lead when Adam Hammill's cross just eluded Stern John's outsretched legs at the far post.

Hammill was only playing because Nathan Dyer failed a fitness test and, two minutes later, his clever reverse pass to Bradley Wright-Phillips was screwed beyond the far post.

It is hard to understand why the impressive Hammill was making only his second start since arriving on loan from Liverpool, and his first for more than two months, but Ipswich's own wide man, the powerful Walters, soon gave warning of his potent threat down the right.

After leaving Jhon Viafara standing, only brilliant covering from Youssef Safri stopped Walters' cross from being turned in by Alan Lee at the far post.

Walters and Counago dovetailed to good effect and minutes later Ipswich took the lead.

Burley was well aware of the threat that would be posed by Walters, having described the forward as "Ipswich's player of the season so far" during the pre-match press conference at St Mary's.

Since switching from a striker's role to the right flank, Walters has been a major reason for Ipswich's daunting home record.

The scorer of a hat-trick in Ipswich's previous home match, a 6-0 demolition of Bristol City, he was a little fortunate to score the first goal last night.

Walters broke the deadlock by deflecting a Billy Clark drive past Kelvin Davis in the 32nd minute.

Saints were matching their hosts until a John Viafara foul 25 yards out gave Ipswich the chance to take the lead.

After referee Grant Hegley had ensured the Saints wall was back the full ten yards, Billy Clark drove Tommy Miller's slide-rule pass goalwards - and Walters opened his right foot to sidefoot the ball past the wrong-footed Davis and, agonisingly, just inside the post.

Viafara's night got worse when he was booked for dissent in first-half injury time during his fascinating battle with Counago.

But Saints could easily have equalised at the bgeinning of the second half.

When Wright-Phillips connected with Phil Ifil's cross from six yards out, Neil Alexander reacted by palming the ball over the bar.

Owen Garvan, a young visonary in the Ipswich midfield and a graduate from the team that beat Saints in the 2005 FA Youth Cup final, struck Davis's bar before Hammill's delicate chip bounced back off the inside of Alexander's far post.

Saints' best move of the night was channelled through Andrew Surman, Jason Euell and Wright-Phillips before Hamill dinked the ball over Alexander but against the woodwork.

It was a moment of rare quality, as was Ifil's sliding tackle on Walters, which had the home crowd screaming in vain for a penalty.

Ipswich were now showing why their record at home is so good. After Euell gave the ball away, Davis dived low to his right to palm away a Counago effort.

Euell and Counago were both given a talking to by Hegley during a twominute delay after the Spaniard had taken out Viafara.

Walters missed a glorious chance, driving across the face of goal and wide, and John headed wide a Hammill cross before Counago sealed the points.

Counago is in the first season of his second spell at Portman Road, having first been signed by Burley six years ago.

He added to his former manager's woes by heading in Gavin Williams's inswinging free-kick from the left flank.

Like the number on the back of his replacement shirt, Viafara was nowhere to be seen when Counago rose to head home his seventh league goal of the season.

The otherwise impressive Viafara gave away the free-kick from which substitute Williams, who had only been on the pitch for two minutes, delivered an inswinging dead ball and Counago connected in the 69th minute.

An unmarked Andrew Davies headed straight at Alexander in the 83rd minute and a Euell cross was beaten away but Counago had ensured a fourth defeat in five away games for Burley's men.