Clarets strongman Lennie Johnrose is facing a race against time to play again this season after undergoing surgery on an Achilles tendon injury.

Johnrose had an operation yesterday to cure a niggling problem that has dogged him over recent games.

And with a predicted recovery period of six weeks, the combatative midfielder is touch-and-go to make a comeback before the end of the current campaign.

Manager Stan Ternent admits it's too early to say whether Johnrose could return for the final couple of games but with Burnley assured of First Division football next season that's not a top priority.

And Johnrose, who has suffered a disrupted season after a knee injury kept him out of the early stages, has had surgery now to guarantee that he will be fully fit when the 2001/02 campaign gets underway.

Ternent said: "He had tendonitis on it and the specialist just wanted to release it so he had to open it up. I would say it will be six weeks of a job.

"We'll see how he responds to it but the main thing is that I'm in the process of half preparing for next season.

"He's been playing with it but he's been restricted and there comes a time when you've got to say enough's enough and when we got 48 points was a good time, not before that."

Ronnie Jepson has also undergone surgery on a similar problem and with Micky Mellon returning to Tranmere Rovers, Ternent admitted that he was down to the bare FROM BACK PAGE bones for last night's goalless draw at Stockport County, which left Burnley in tenth place.

Gordon Armstrong was also absent through suspension and Glen Little failed to recover from an ankle injury sustained at Portsmouth on Saturday.

However, there is no major damage and Ternent hopes to have the winger back for next Tuesday night's trip to play-off hopefuls Watford.

"He's had it X-rayed and he's fine and I would say that he has a chance for next Tuesday. He should be available for that," the manager added.

On the plus side, Lee Briscoe completed his first senior game since the end of November when he helped the Clarets to a welcome point at Edgeley Park in a wind-spoilt game.

"I thought he was absolutely fantastic to get through the 90 minutes.

"He did extremely well, considering it was his first full game for some time.

"I thought the whole lot of them had a real good go but it certainly wasn't a night for good cultured football. It was just a battle. I think that's the nicest way I could put it," said Ternent after his side recorded a comfortable clean sheet to bring an end to a run of three successive away defeats.

The Clarets reserves entertain Wolves at Turf Moor tonight (kick-off 7.15) in a game brought forward from next week.

And Burnley's home fixture against QPR on Saturday, March 24 will kick-off at 1pm to avoid clashing with England's World Cup qualifier against Finland.