WE often hear that Burnley is a true footballing town.

And within that town, the football club is undoubtedly the beating heart of a proud community.

But hearts can be broken - and yesterday that was the case as one of Burnley's greatest ever managers was reduced to a quivering wreck as he took his final bow.

Raw emotion poured from Stan Ternent as acclaim for a magnificent job poured down from all four corners of his spiritual home.

Turf Moor has rarely seen anything like it.

Part of the reason is that football managers hardly ever get the chance for such an emotionally-charged send-off. Normally they are unceremoniously sacked and gone the next day.

Here supporters, players and staff all got the chance to salute a man who finally put Burnley Football Club back on the map.

Whether Barry Kilby's brave decision to effectively sack a man, whose record in 312 games reads 'won 122, drawn 82 and lost 108', remains to be seen.

What has already been witnessed is that in six short years, the Clarets have risen from Second Division donkeys to First Division fighters, twice coming within a whisker of making the play-offs and ensuring that any team visiting Turf Moor now knows they are in for a real battle.

There have been real downers along the way, and Stan probably split the vote in some quarters following two turbulent seasons that have brought some real drubbings.

But there have been mitigating, well-documented reasons for some of those dark days. And this was not a day to dwell on the bad times.

Surreally, this was almost a carnival atmosphere, with the final match of the season taking a very poor second place to events after the final whistle.

And boy did Burnley give Stan a send-off to remember.

Earlier in the week, while chatting to Stan, he was clearly dreading the whole day - knowing full well his emotions were going to get the better of him.

Disconnected from reality after having to digest the news his contract was not being renewed, he genuinely didn't know what kind of reception to expect on his final day in office.

He needn't have feared, and judging by the adulation it's a fair bet Stan will never have to buy another pint in the Kettledrum ever again!

Meanwhile, away from the limelight and headlines, one other person has retained great dignity this past week. Behind every manager there is a right-hand man; a confidant; an advisor.

Sam Ellis has been all this and more during Stan's incident-packed six years at the helm. He was there from day one, and he was there again, stood quietly behind 'the gaffer' for the final press conference.

Not for Sam the bright lights. He quietly goes about his business with no fuss. Yet ask the players and every one has their own favourite tale of someone who, as anyone with an insight into life at the training ground will testify, has done great things for morale in the camp.

The shenanigans following training, when Sam and Ronnie Jepson paired up to take on Glen Little and Robbie Blake in a bizarre 'golf' contest to see who can kick a football from the Gawthorpe pitches to the main gate in the fewest shots, will be missed by the press pack.

And what of Little? He too broke down as the post-match feelings intensified during a lap of honour. The cocky Londonder will leave a huge hole in the Clarets squad that the incoming manager knows he must plug.

Little has not fired on all cylinders that often this season, again leaving some supporters divided on his contribution to the side.

But those fans who came down on the critical side cannot fault the entertainment provided down the years by the wily wide man. Not since the days of David Eyres has a Burnley winger had so many fans on the edge of their seats and left so many defenders on their backsides!

In 282 games he scored just 36 goals - most memorably a sublime solo effort against Bristol Rovers and most notably the strike at Scunthorpe that sealed First Division football.

But Glen's game was not about finishing off moves - it was about creating openings for others, despite that characteristic, rangy running style totally at odds with that of an orthodox winger.

Typically, Little saved his final game for a rare goal, igniting the proceedings by putting Burnley ahead against Sunderland following an opening cleverly carved out by Blake and then Richard Chaplow.

His wild celebrations told you how important a goal that was for a player who, like his manager, is Burnley through and through.

Sadly, in keeping with the season really, Burnley squandered the lead. The Black Cats rode their luck for a while before Gary Breen rose unchallenged to power home Sean Thornton's corner and square things up eight minutes before the break.

Then, in front of 4,000 fervent Mackems, Kevin Kyle sent Sunderland into the play-offs with a victory under their belt with a sweet header just after the hour.

After that, all eyes turned to the clock. On a momentous day, defeat barely mattered for this was all about emotional farewells.

They say there is no room for sentiment in football. Nonsense.

Yesterday, a fully charged Turf Moor crowd acclaimed a winger who, on countless occasions, lifted the rafters with moments of sublime skill.

But with no disrespect to Little, supporters undoubtedly flocked to their spiritual home to celebrate the reign of a manager who in six years has become one of their own.

The toast was to Francis Stanley Ternent - or maybe just to Stan. The man!

BURNLEY 1

Little 11

SUNDERLAND 2

Breen 37, Kyle 66

Turf Moor. Att: 18,852