A TRANSFER market splash may not be the answer to Burnley's holiday hiccup as Stan Ternent looks to steady the ship at Turf Moor.

The Clarets' promotion push has been stalled by two away defeats in three games, the latest coming at Notts County yesterday where two Brett Angell headers gave the seventh-placed Magpies a 2-0 win.

But Ternent, not in a position to make a major purchase, is prepared to look at the wider picture and won't panic with Burnley still well placed in the play-off race at least.

"I have got players at the club that I can bring in," said the Clarets boss, who nevertheless knows his squad is stretched in a couple of areas.

"The availability of players is a problem, to get better than what we've got. I still say that if the players play to their potential they are a match for anyone, that's how far we have brought the club.

"To get better than we have got you don't get for £25,000," he added.

Ternent was scathing of his side in the immediate aftermath of yesterday's defeat which keeps the Clarets in fifth place.

"It was a very disappointing performance. We were second-best and we deserved what we got, which was nothing.

"We have got to be 100 times better than we were.

"The buck stops with me and that was a totally unacceptable performance by our standards.

"I can guarantee we will improve on that," he said.

However, after getting the frustrations out of his system, the boss was looking on the positive side again today.

"I'm the one that has to set the standards.

"I always try to protect my players but every now and again when you've got hordes of supporters and people's expectations levels are high and you let them down a bit you have to say something," he said.

"But I think we have been doing well. We have made extremely good progress, we are fifth in the division but yesterday's performance was not up to scratch.

"The only thing that bugs me is that we are conceding.

"They are the same squad of players that has taken the team from the bottom of the league in a lot less than 12 months. You are going to have a blip. Everyone has a bad run.

"We've never had a bad run, we have always reacted to it.

"There are different ways of looking at things. If we had gone through the last three games and drawn them everbody would say we are hard to beat and doing alright.

"But with Burnley if you lose one it's a catastrophe. It's the end of the world."

Coventry City manager Gordon Strachan was at Meadow Lane yesterday to run the rule over the Clarets first-hand ahead of Saturday's FA Cup clash at Highfield Road.

The Sky Blues first play Chelsea tonight and Ternent conceded that some of his players may have been distracted by the prospect of taking on Premiership opposition in a few days' time.

"I think they must have had their minds on it, the way things were. But if they don't perform they won't play in the cup game," he added.

Colne Clarets travel for Saturday's cup-tie at Coventry City leaves the Morris Dancers, Colne at 9am and the Cafe Claret at 9.15am.

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