STAN Ternent today stepped up his search for new players after telling four players that they would not play for the club again in the wake of Saturday's home defeat by York City.

Defenders Lee Howey, Steve Blatherwick and Mark Winstanley, together with midfielder Michael Williams, have all been told they can leave Turf Moor on a free transfer.

They are all under contract and will therefore remain on the pay role and train with Burnley but it has been spelled out to them in no uncertain terms by Ternent that they have no part to play at the club.

The Clarets' boss said: "It's not personal, it's business-wise. Steve Blatherwick, Lee Howey, Mark Winstanley and to a lesser degree Michael Williams, because he will never win the crowd over, will not play for Burnley Football Club again.

"They are not right for Burnley and they are not coming from where I am coming from.

"They are on the transfer list. They can go on a free transfer. I want them out of the place. They are no good to me."

It is a measure of Ternent's disappointment that he is ready to offload players that cost £500,000 between them - £350,000 being spent on Howey and Blatherwick last summer - for nothing.

But by moving them on he hopes to have some extra leeway to bring in more of his own players and needs to make a start this week.

For Saturday's trip to Walsall he is without the two central defenders he has used all season and with Steve Morgan injured, he has no senior left-back available. "I need to bring some new bodies into the club," he confirmed. "I have got to make a move because three points out of nine does not represent a good start to the season, regardless of what's happening."

Ternent will cut his cloth according to what he is given to spend by the board but it goes without saying that he needs money to get the calibre of players he would ideally want.

The Burnley boss stressed again today that making the quartet of players available was purely a footballing decision and said in Williams' case that the move would be in the player's best interests because of his standing with the crowd.

He added: "We have an obligation to these four players and I will honour that obligation and do everything I can to get them fixed up somewhere else which will allow me to bring players in which I need to do sooner rather than later."

The Clarets were hit by a chronic injury list going into Saturday's game when they were without Morgan, Andy Cooke, Glen Little, Ronnie Jepson, Paul Weller, Mark Robertson and Kevin Henderson.

But that didn't mask a shocking performance with York running through the Clarets' defence at will and spurning a host of goalscoring opportunities on their way to a 1-0 win. Ternent added: "The injury situation is on-going. We have got a full week so hopefully at Walsall I can pick from a stronger squad but that's got nothing to do with it because you should be able to overcome that.

"I have had a right good look at it now and it's not forced medicine. It's nothing I didn't know perhaps after two or three weeks."

Every cloud has a silver lining, however, and Ternent was happy with the contribution of the young players he pitched into the fray, notably 18-year-old full-back Chris Scott, which he believes bodes well for the club's longer term future. "I have never packed anything in in my life and I don't intend to start now because I have got the nucleus of a reasonable side," Ternent added.

"I need some players but I will never get a better club if I live to be a million."

There were sporadic chants against the board during Saturday's game and support outside afterwards for Ray Ingleby, who watched the game from the stands, adding to the general feeling of unrest.

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