BURNLEY boss Stan Ternent admits his side is not good enough to win promotion - yet.

Ternent has so far added only Ronnie Jepson to the squad that finished last season fifth from bottom of the Second Division.

And having also lost first-team regulars Gerry Harrison, Damian Matthew, Chris Woods and probably Paul Weller, Ternent knows his current set of players is not well enough equipped to mount a challenge at the top of the table.

"I know that the players I have got at this moment are not good enough to get a promotion-collectively. That's what I think," revealed Ternent.

"It is only my opinion. It doesn't make it right but that's the road I am going and if the players prove me wrong I will be delighted."

Ternent assesses the current state of affairs at Turf Moor in a full interview in the Evening Telegraph's 24-page pre-season supplement which goes on sale tomorrow.

And he makes it clear that new signings will brought in with some of the current squad making way as he looks to assemble a promotion-chasing outfit. "I need a few players and a few players will be leaving. A few will be coming in and we will try and turn it round and I am prepared to do that sooner rather than later but they have to be right," he added.

And with the money available to buy the right players Ternent is confident he will deliver the goods.

"There's no reason to assume that the directors won't back me like they backed Jimmy Mullen and Adrian Heath and like they backed Chris Waddle.

"Plenty (of managers) have tried and failed but if they back me I won't. There's no chance of that," he added. "You need a little rub of the green and a break here and there but it won't be for the want of trying.

"I have been a Burnley supporter all my life. "My career has taken me different ways but my loyalties are to Burnley Football Club and if I am given the facility I will turn it round.

"You would expect to get from the Third Division to the Second Division but really our ambition is to strengthen this team and hopefully in the not-too-distant future get into the next league - that's everybody's ambition."

Burnley's current squad wound up their pre-season programme with their best performance to date in a 1-0 win at Rochdale on Saturday.

Jepson made an impressive first start up front alongside Andy Cooke, although it took an own-goal from ex-Claret Mark Monington to seal the victory.

"In patches we played pretty well," said Ternent. "The shape and the balance of the side looked alright at times and at other times it left a little bit to be desired but I think it was probably as well as we have played over the pre-season.

"Overall it was pleasing and to keep a clean sheet was important.

"I have said before that the result is totally unimportant as far as I am concerned although as I said at Halifax and Morecambe it's nice to win as that's the object of the exercise. The Burnley boss added: "Paul Smith is coming on after his injury so it was important for him and Lee Howey played his first 90 minutes in about eight months.

"I thought Michael Williams did well at right-back and Steve Morgan looked reasonably solid.

"In the middle of the park we didn't really get as much ball as I would have liked them to get but it was certainly an improvement and up front Andy (Cooke) was Andy and Ronnie Jepson did well. And when Colin Carr-Lawton cane on I thought he did well.

"There were no injuries which is important so we can prepare for next Saturday now when I hope I am talking to you with a clean sheet and some goals for us. I will be a happy man then."

Burnley reserves play at Unibond League Premier Division side Winsford tonight (kick-off 7.30) when Neil Moore, Mark Winstanley, Kevin Henderson, Colin Carr-Lawton and Craig Mawson will all be given a run-out.

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