CLARETS chairman Barry Kilby has vowed he will do all he can to help out manager Stan Ternent but he admitted: "It would have to be a real emergency".

Despite the chairman's personal injection of £1million over the summer, the club is still struggling to plug the huge hole in its finances following the collapse of ITV Digital.

Ternent has had absolutely no leeway in his attempted transfer dealings throughout the summer, as a result failing to sign Marlon Broomes and Marlon Beresford, but Kilby is aware that circumstances may force the club to act.

The biggest problem for the manager would be injury or suspension to his only keeper Nik Michopoulos but the hand problem he suffered against Wolves at the weekend will not keep him out of Saturday's clash with Sheffield United.

"If Nik was unable to play we would obviously have to do something," acknowledged Kilby with a short term deal for Beresford, currently in goal for York City, or a loan move for Everton's Paul Gerrard the most likely solutions.

"But the fact is that we are still in a position where it is a case of having to cut costs rather than add to them so, unless people go out, it is hard for new players to come in.

"We have had a couple of speculative enquiries but no more than that.

"It is likely that only Premiership clubs could come in for any players and the transfer window shuts next weekend so we will have to see what happens. But at this stage I am not anticipating anything happening.

"I know some fans are frustrated that we are not putting out a positive message but we have to be realistic and let them know the situation."

In the light of the collapse of ITV Digital the club has been kept on a reasonably even keel by that large cash injection of £1million although it is not something he is keen to discuss.

"We are all working hard to fill the deficit, not just for this year but for next as well," he explained.

"It may be that we will face a long slog through the winter but it is something we have been preparing for.

"I have been accused of bleating on about the collapse of the ITV deal but the fact remains that this is a very different football world to the one we were living in just 12 months ago."