FIRST impressions last.

And when players reported back for pre-season training, their early assessment of Steve Cotterill would have been that Burnley's new boss is desperate to make a long lasting impression.

Like a man on a mission, Cotterill is hellbent on sweeping away the air of doom and gloom that pervaded towards the end of his predecessor's roller-coaster Turf Moor reign.

And already it is apparent that in Cotterill, chairman Barry Kilby has got his wish of installing a manager from the opposite end of the tracks to Stan Ternent.

Admittedly, both characters exude a somewhat cautious nature - the fiercely competitive edge to the job demands nothing less.

But whereas Ternent possessed an abrasive streak that could often surface to rub people up the wrong way, Cotterill appears almost apologetically courteous and prepared to openly share many innermost thoughts with the media and supporters.

The ambitious new man could have arrived spouting pie in the sky plans and trotting out well-worn cliches associated normally with new appointments; those of sleeping giants and Premiership ambitions.

But while the top flight may be locked in his long-term thinking, Cotterill is at pains to paint a truer picture of what Burnley fans can expect from his immediate vision of Burnley Football Club.

A smaller squad, a reliance on youth, a dogged determination and a willingness to give fans' a team they can rely on to give their all in every 90 minutes.

Cotterill's daring appointment of a young, vibrant and enthusiastic backroom team is further evidence that the old guard is no more.

In first team coach and reserve team manager Mark Yates, he has employed someone with everything to prove to Burnley fans who remember the player.

Yates would admit to not being the most successful footballer ever to grace Turf Moor, but there are countless examples of average players who have made the transition to coaching and found their true niche in life.

The eager 34-year-old has a glaring lack of hands-on coaching experience, yet arrives fresh from earning the prestigious UEFA 'A' coaching license.

Cotterill's faith in his former captain at Cheltenham is so unswerving that he later revealed he did not offer him the job until he had sat the exam - but would have appointed Yates even if he failed!

Assistant manager Dave Kevan appears to offer the closest comparison to the ultimately successful Ternent/Sam Ellis partnership.

Just as Ellis constantly shied away from the limelight, former caretaker Stoke City boss Kevan makes no secret of the fact he too prefers the shadows - working the players hard and acting as the bridge between dressing room and dug-out.

However, it is in the glaring spotlight of signings on the field that football managers themselves live and die.

And judging by the way Cotterill has pulled rabbits out of the hat so far, every Burnley supporter should be further encouraged that brighter times lie just over the horizon.

In ex-Ipswich skipper John McGreal the Clarets have a born-winner in the David May mould - albeit two years younger.

A three-year deal for a 32-year-old raised eyebrows in some quarters, but remains a neon-clear sign that this is the man Cotterill intends to build his team around.

Rest assured his second signing, due to be unveiled later this week, will equally impress most fans.

And with those two experienced players on board, Cotterill insists he will have the basic mould of a team to inch Burnley forwards.

It will undoubtedly take time to mould a winning team, but to quote the manager: "Without a challenge, there is no achievement."

The biggest challenge of Cotterill's managerial career is now firmly underway.

NEW REGIME: Steve Cotterill has made good start in his plans for a brighter future for Clarets