ANDY Cooke has been praised by Clarets' boss Stan Ternent for leading a clean-up of the disciplinary record at Turf Moor.

Cooke took stock of his own disciplinary problems in talks with the Clarets' management team after chalking up six bookings and a sending off by October 24.

His dismissal for violent conduct at Macclesfield - albeit a controversial one following a tangle with defender Efetobar Sodje - allied to five earlier bookings, led to a four-match ban.

The striker, who also served a couple of suspensions last season, vowed to clean up his act on his return to the fray at Bournemouth at the end of November.

And to his credit, Cooke has been cautioned just once in 12 games since then. "Andy and I had a long chat about it and he has done well, all of them have," said manager Stan Ternent. "There have been problems at most clubs. Yellow cards are being bandied about for fun but that's part and parcel of the game now.

"You have to be aware of it and our record needs improving. But touch wood it hasn't been bad in recent weeks and we need to keep that going."

Burnley have collected 53 yellow - the fourth highest total in the Second Division - and four red cards in the League this season.

And Ternent was tackled by fans over the team's disciplinary record at the club's AGM in December.

But since they hit rock bottom at Bournemouth, when Steve Morgan was sent off and four other players booked, Burnley have attracted just 12 cautions and one sending off to back up the manager's claim. Cooke's new approach has kept him out of trouble and three goals in the last four games prove that last season's leading scorer hasn't lost his killer instinct as a result.

"I thought he played really well last Saturday. He's back to more like his old self," Ternent added.

Going in where it hurts is essential to a striker's game game but Ternent insisted: "Aggression is the wrong word. He wants to be a winner and he wants to be first."

And while the goals continue to go in Cooke looks likely to avoid the wrath of referees, although his misdemeanours earlier this season could still cost him a game or two on the sidelines.

"Most of that stuff was born out of frustration. He hasn't been through that before but he got through it and I still maintain he will get close to 20 goals," said Ternent.

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