STAN Ternent, as the sub-title of his recent book proclaims, has had a hard life in football. Some of the toughest days came when he walked into his Turf Moor office for the first time five years ago.

He was shocked by the work ethic and attitude of many of the players he had inherited. He knew he had a mountain to climb - but didn't realise how steep it would be.

There were times he almost walked away.

In his book, Ternent admits: "A further defeat to Stoke was followed by an FA Cup tie away at Third Division Darlington. Unbelievably, disastrously, vomit-inducingly, after leading 2-0 with ten minutes to go, we lost 3-2. Throughout my career, I had never worked with such a spineless bunch.

"I travelled home that evening to speak to my family, intent on packing the lot in. They talked me round, but the inner strength and mental toughness which had sustained me through over 30 years of turmoil of football was being painfully leeched by every performance."

Today, as the club makes preparations for its first FA Cup quarter-final tie in 20 years, Burnley fans have a lot to thank Stan's family for. In persuading him to carry on, they helped shape a new vision for the town.

Sure, there have rough times along the way - but more good times than bad.

Burnley is a club on the up, a club with a rich past, and a bright future.

A great run in the Worthington Cup and high profile games against Spurs and Manchester United, have heightened the national perception and boosted the coffers.

The current FA Cup run is allowing every fan to dream of that big day out at the Millennium Stadium. Be honest, how many out there made provisional hotel bookings in Cardiff this morning?

Ternent, of course, will look no further than the trip to Stoke on Saturday. He would swap all this cup glory for a place in the play-offs - and rightly so. The Premiership will always remain priority.

But it's a big indication of how far the club has come under Ternent's reign. That 'spineless bunch' of five years ago is a distant memory.

Burnley beat Fulham last night because every player in a Claret shirt wanted it badly. It was a performance filled with passion, pride and sheer hard work. Fulham will slide back to London complaining of tiredness, injuries and a 'harsh red card'.

Absolute rubbish. They were outplayed and out-fought from the first minute to the last.

The money generated from last night's game and the tie at Watford a week on Sunday will go a long way to paying off a chunk of the debt left by the ITV Digital fiasco.

And another big televised tie will go a long way to counter-acting the negative national perception of a town associated with race riots and the BNP.

Last night at Turf Moor, the nation saw a proud town, with proud people and a football team to be proud of.