BURNLEY 1 MANCHESTER UTD 3

THIS time there were no tears.

Time heals wounds - even relatively new ones - and Stan Ternent's return to Turf Moor three months after his sudden departure brought nothing but smiles to the faces of all who attended his big night.

From the VIP guests, to the fans who used to chant his name from the stands, Ternent's testimonial was a night when everyone made a little pilgrimage to celebrate the six-year reign of a manager who finally put Burnley back on the map.

A guard of honour led by legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson welcomed Ternent, accompanied by granddaughter Olivia, into the arena of his former glories.

Stan and 'Ollie' - a pairing guaranteed to raise a smile!

And the standing ovation from a creditable 8,814 supporters offered concrete proof that, even though the club is enjoying a bright new dawn under successor Steve Cotterill, Ternent may be gone but his legacy won't be forgotten.

The crazy little idiosyncrasies: the temper tantrums: those trademark white training shoes and the sheer unpredictability of his press conferences.

We all have our own quirky memories of 'Stan the Man' and those are just a few personal ones that come flooding back whenever our paths cross.

Whether that will happen again in an official capacity, only time and the mad merry-go-round of football management will determine. But at least the parting this time was a happier one than that back in May.

"The emotions are certainly a lot different than that day against Sunderland," recalled Ternent. "I've thought about what happened long and hard, but I knew I would enjoy the day and sharing it with everyone. It's been marvellous and everything has just been spot on."

Ferguson certainly played his part in that, being as good as his word in fielding a generous sprinkling of Old Trafford stars and surely boosting the turn-out for his old pal in the process.

Regulars Tim Howard, Phil Neville, Mikael Silvestre, Eric Djemba-Djemba, Paul Scholes and the mercurial Ryan Giggs all made the starting line-up against Cotterill's strongest starting eleven, given the fact several first teamers were absent on international duty.

And with absolutely no disrespect to the Clarets, United's superiority was there for all to see in a typical testimonial game devoid of any meaty challenges or the hurly-burly of competitive action.

No sensible supporter could have expected anything more, since the Reds are currently nursing injuries to the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Louis Saha, while Cotterill is operating with a wafer-thin squad.

But there was still enough class on display to entertain, notably in the first half before mass substitutions brought the involvement of many illustrious names on both sides to an end.

Mo Camara almost ended a personal goal drought stretching back five years before United took the lead in the 31st minute, Scholes rifling a volley home following a classy one-two with Giggs.

Neville soon found the net for the second after a neat interchange with David Bellion and a hat-trick of one-two's brought the third nine minutes after the break, this time through Chris Eagles, who linked up well with Kieran Richardson.

Second half substitute Marc Pugh did pull a late consolation back for Burnley as nostalgic chants of "Stan Ternent's Claret and Blue Army" rang out and the heavens above Turf Moor well and truly opened.

But on a night he will surely never forget, nothing was going to rain on Stan Ternent's parade.

Burnley (starting): Jensen, Camara, McGreal, Sinclair, Townsend, Roche, Grant, Branch, O'Neill, Moore, Blake. (Subs all used): Trotman, Scott, McCann, Pugh, Pilkington, Taylor, Hale, Platt, Reilly, Chaplow, Hale.

United (starting): Howard, P Neville, Tierney, Spector, Silvestre, Djemba-Djemba, Eagles, Bellion, Scholes, Giggs, Richardson. (Subs used): Steele, McShane, Bardsley, Jones, Rossi, Djordic, Fox, Ebanks-Blake, Heaton.

Goals: Burnley: Pugh 87. United: Scholes 31, P Neville 37, Eagles 56

Attendance: 8,814