BURNLEY boss Stan Ternent has finally struck gold to boost Burnley's survival hopes.

Saturday's victory over Gillingham was the sixth game unbeaten since the turn of the year, with three wins and three draws signalling a welcome upturn in fortunes.

Key to that revival has been the flourishing central defensive partnership between Mark McGregor and David May.

The two players were first thrust together at Sunderland in November after McGregor fought his way back to fitness from summer knee surgery.

Since then they have played six times - noticeably in every game of the latest unbeaten run, which began with an FA Cup third round victory at Mansfield on January 3.

In their solid seven game-partnership, mostly aided by regular full backs Mo Camara, who has played in 34 of the 35 games so far, and either Dean West or Lee Roche at right back, Burnley have conceded just three goals - a ratio of just 0.42 goals per game.

That is easily the best return of any of Ternent's eight central defensive pairings, brought about through the manager having a limited squad at his disposal and being forced to mix and match - and even loaning Blackburn stopper Andy Todd for an eight game spell back in September.

Ternent himself has admitted May and McGregor look a good pairing, with a combination of the former's leadership kills and overall reading of the game, and the ex-Wrexham defender's pace and aerial ability.

Of the other partnerships that have played together more than once, May and Graham Branch come closest to that impressive ratio, averaging 1.4 goals conceded in their five games together.

May then features again alongside Todd, with the combination averaging 1.57 goals per game.

Arthur Gnohere comes into the equation three times at this point, alongside Branch (1.62), McGregor (2.0) and finally May (2.0).

And finally comes the ill-fated partnership of Branch and Lee Roche, both unfortunately forced to fill the centre back berths for the only time this season at Ipswich back in October after the Clarets camp was ravaged by flu and stripped the side of all the specialist centre backs.

McGregor and May will now set their sights on a shut-out in the FA Cup fifth round tie against either Telford of Millwall.

But if their burgeoning partnership continues in the First Division, the Clarets have every reason to feel a rise up the First Division table is also a very realistic target.

BURNLEY boss Stan Ternent was today among the mourners at the funeral of footballing legend Bob Stokoe.

The ex-Sunderland manager was laid to rest following his death last week, aged 73.

Stokoe, who had been suffering from dementia, will be remembered for leading Sunderland to victory in the 1973 FA Cup Final over Leeds to become the first Second Division team to lift the trophy in 40 years.

After the famous FA Cup win, Stokoe took Sunderland into the top flight in 1976, but resigned the following season through ill-health.