STAN Ternent's "hardest season" in football management will have a happy ending after his Burnley side beat Second Division champions Fulham to complete their great escape from the threat of relegation.

The Clarets were dumped into the bottom four in mid-March after a run of four defeats in five games.

But only one loss since then and Ronnie Jepson's late winner on Saturday guaranteed Burnley's safety and lifted them up to 14th-place in the table ahead of this afternoon's visit to play-off chasing Wigan Athletic.

"I am delighted for everyone. It has been the hardest season that I have ever had as a manager for varying reasons, which I won't go into, and I'm glad that we have put it to bed.

"I think there's a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, hopefully so anyhow," said Ternent.

"I'm pleased for the club, the board of directors and the players that we are in this division next year.

"It's been a long, hard road. We've had a lot of setbacks along the way but all credit to the players. They have stuck at it and they have got their just reward in my view.

"The main thing was to get 50 points. I still maintain 50 points will be enough but now we are completely out of the woods and that's nice. It's a nice feeling.

"I can now look at next season and the retained list and all the things I have to sort out."

Ternent took over at Turf Moor amid great expectations last summer. But the loss of some key players under the Bosman ruling, a lack of transfer cash in the first half of the season and an appalling injury list all contributed to a troubled run. But new chairman Barry Kilby provided the funds to finance some important new signings and kept faith with Ternent when things got rough after a 6-0 home rout by Manchester City.

"Last but not least (a word for) the chairman for sticking with me and hopefully in the long term it will prove to be the correct decision," Ternent added.

None of the recent arrivals have been more important than Tom Cowan and Paul Cook - whose futures at Turf Moor will be decided over the next week or so - who made their debuts in a 1-0 home defeat by Preston but haven't been on the losing side in the nine subsequent games.

Record buy Steve Davis has also been an influential figure and finished the season strongly despite a hernia problem which the club had kept under wraps while they had crucial games to play.

Ternent confirmed: "Steve Davis has played the last eight games with a double hernia. It hasn't gone to Press and I appreciate that. Steve will now go into hospital and get that done.

"I think he deserves credit. Lenny Johnrose has also played unfit, Andy Payton has played unfit, Andy Cooke's not 100 per cent and Ronnie Jepson's not 100 per cent. "But it just shows the commitment and the will so I think all credit to the players."

The Clarets have produced their best form and run of results of the season at just the right time.

After struggling at Turf Moor for much of the campaign, the Clarets 1-0 win over Fulham was their third victory in four home games to delight the majority of a crowd of 13,086.

"It was a tough match against an extremely good side. I thought it was a very disciplined performance from our players.

"We created some good chances and eventually I felt we got out just rewards. I think we just shaded it.

"Overall it was a good performance, the crowd was absolutely blinding and all's well that ends well," Ternent added. There will be no stepping off the gas, however, with Burnley faced with games against Wigan and Northampton which could have a bearing on promotion and relegation issues.

"We have to go to Wigan and we have a responsibility to other teams.

"We have to do our best there. We would like to go through the season undefeated and we will prepare properly for that match," insisted Ternent, who had to decide whether to keep Davis going and check on the fitness of leading scorer Andy Payton, who missed Saturday's win through injury.

Fulham collected a few knocks of their own and finished with nine men, having used all their substitutes and seeing Kit Symons dismissed at the death - which may have been a factor behind the champions' veil of silence afterwards.

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