TIME is something you can't give a football manager in the 1990s.

But Adrian Heath and John Ward must be given leeway to manoeuvre at Turf Moor - even if Burnley do not achieve their promotion goal next May.

That, perhaps, is a bold statement to deliver, especially to the legions of Burnley fans thirsting for success.

Yet the youthful vitality and drive of Heath and the extensive experience of Ward will, given precious time, deliver the goods at Turf Moor.

That is why the disenchantment which followed the unexpected defeat to York should be placed firmly into perspective with the manager just 11 months into the job of rebuilding Burnley's fortunes.

But let's roll back the clock to last March and measure Burnley's overall improvement. It was a Burnley team limping from one damaging defeat to another. Remember the debacles at Oxford and Wycombe?

Yet Heath has dramatically improved morale and added to the overall playing strength, while, at the same time, reducing the age of a declining team.

You can point to the development of Paul Smith and Chris Brass, both on the verge of international recognition. A year ago they were struggling for a place on the substitute's bench. In the transfer market Heath has made an initial transfer outlay of approximately £475,000, a lot less than several clubs at this level.

His main asset, record signing Paul Barnes, has 15 league and cup goals to his name. Alongside Kurt Nogan they are potentially the most potent goal-scoring pair in the Second Division.

Yet, the next two months will be Heath's sternest examination of Burnley's ability to produce a consistent run of form. That could either propel the Clarets into sight of the First Division or leave Burnley planning for another campaign in Division Two.

Heath observed: "I could sense the frustration in the stadium after York. But there was nobody more frustrated than me, I can tell you. It hurts me so much when things don't go right for Burnley and I feel the same frustration that our fans do.

"I'm desperate to give the supporters what they want but it takes time to evolve your plan.

"But it is just not physically possible to shape a football club, players' mentality or the perception of a football club in 11 months. "I know that we can get there. When we play well there is nobody in this division to touch us.

"We've had a difficult month, when we've lacked genuine consistency

"Yet this current Burnley side is the best team I've been associated with at Burnley both as a player and a manager.

"A far better team, in fact, than the side that won promotion to the First Division in 1994."

With 15 games left, the promotion play-offs are still a realistic goal. But Heath knows that Burnley will have to put together their best sequence of results this season to attain that target.

Burnley will require a minimum of 27 points from their remaining 15 games. A tall order. Bradford landed a play-off spot with 73 points last season while Chesterfield missed out with a point less. That underlines the gravity of the task. The Clarets are going to have to win a fair percentage of those fixtures.

"We are certainly not throwing the towel in," declared Heath. "My message to our fans is let's give this thing a go together. It's vitally important that we are both pulling in the same direction - starting at Bournemouth tomorrow.

"If, at the end of the season, we end up disappointed, then I will shoulder that responsibility. But we've got 12 weeks to go and do something about it.

"Reaching the play-offs is a difficult task but not impossible. If we can reach the play-offs nobody will not want to play us because of the ability at this football club."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.