STOCKPORT0 BURNLEY0 STAN Ternent has always been an advocate of summer football, and on last night's evidence the Burnley boss might have a point.

A biting wind howling straight down the pitch, which relented slightly in the second half in time for the heavens to open, produced a numbing spectacle in which creative football was virtually non-existent.

They were nightmare conditions for the players, who found it desperately difficult to retain the ball and keep it on the floor.

Such was the scarcity of decent possession that when the ball did go to feet too few were able to sieze the moment as the slightest error was compounded by the constant gusts.

And with the defenders on either side coping better than anyone else it meant that clear-cut chances could be counted on one hand.

Burnley had the best two of the night but neither Ian Cox or Gareth Taylor could resist the trend of sending the ball skyward as Stockport, fighting for every point to escape the relegation zone, duly chalked up their 10th draw at Edgeley Park this season.

The closest they came to improving on that record saw Shefki Kuqi blast over the top after just five minutes and then two minutes from the end fellow Finnish international Jarkko Wiss found space to fire in a snap-shot which brought a smart save out of Nik Michopoulos -- the only time either keeper was seriously tested.

What went in between was largely forgettable, although if they stay up by a point Stockport won't be complaining.

And the Clarets could also take some credit for knuckling down to stop the rot after three successive away defeats on an evening when it would have been easy not to fancy it.

"It was a night for rolling your sleeves up and for big hearts and we did that," said a satisfied Ternent, who was pleased with the response his players gave to their lacklustre showing at Portsmouth on Saturday.

He added: "The improvement just needed to be in the endeavour and the commitment and they certainly did that. They defended extremely well and played as a team. We defended from the front, which was good.

"It's getting to the stage of the season where teams are scrapping for their lives and Stockport are one of them so you have to earn the right (to play).

"We had the best chances but we couldn't convert them. They were very difficult conditions but I thought the players showed real good character and had a go.

"It was never a great game of football but we didn't expect that. We expected a battle against Stockport because of their position and I thought the players stood up to it well."

Burnley are now just one point short of the 50 they have been chasing since day one and while Ternent felt his side could have broken that barrier here, he didn't have too many complaints in a game where the weather was the dominant force.

"The conditions had a mega effect on the game. The ball was just being hooked on all the time and the wind played a great part in it," said the manager.

"They had some long throws from Mike Flynn and we defended those well but we had our own moments, mainly from set-plays and we could have snatched it right at the end.

"Ian Cox had a fantastic chance at the end of the first half and Gareth Taylor had a real good chance as well."

Cox isn't too accustomed to finding himself with just the goalkeeper to beat but he did his principle job at the other end of the pitch solidy enough bar the occasional slip.

With Steve Davis in dominant form alongside him and Mitchell Thomas recovering from an edgy start to stand firm at the back, Burnley repelled County with few alarms in the first half when they faced the elements.

Flynn's throws were dealt with positively, bar the one that broke kindly for Kuqi to spurn the chance to open his Football League account, while Michopoulos only twice had to field shots struck straight at him from outside the box.

In front of the back four Lee Briscoe made a useful contribution on his return to the starting line-up after over three months out, beavering away and sending over a number of free-kicks that cried out for a decisive final touch.

And Ian Moore threatened to unhinge the County defence with the kind of pace that the Stockport defenders used to admire rather than worry about when he was one of them.

Burnley were therefore expected to go on and dominate the second half but with the wind easing slightly it didn't quite work out that way.

Stockport refused to budge and primed themselves for a late rally in search of only their second win of the year. They did at least extend Michopoulos but with Burnley also saving their best until last the hosts could have been left empty-handed.

Taylor failed to punish Andy Dibble's inability to deal with a Briscoe corner before firing just wide from much further out.

And then in the final minute another Briscoe corner caused panic in the County box with Thomas and Cox both straining to turn in the loose ball and provide some unlikely drama. poliver@lancashire.newsquest.co.uk SAFE HANDS: Clarets keeper Nik Michopoulos gets down well to make a fine save to deny Stockport victory QUOTE OF: " It was a night for rolling your sleeves up and for big hearts and we did that " Stan Ternent. ON THE BENCH: Clarets leading scorer Andy Payton had to settle for a place on the substitute's bench