FEWER than 48 hours after the heartbreak at Turf Moor, Stan Ternent started his preparations for next season.

His first decision was to release six members of his first team squad incuding the highly experienced pair of 37-year-olds Kevin Ball and Mitchell Thomas.

The others allowed to go are Tony Ellis, Lennie Johnrose and youngsters Luigi Cennamo and John Williamson.

The axe fell yesterday as Ternent began to clear the decks so that he can bring in some new faces to freshen up his first team squad.

It is expected that loan star David Johnson and former Clarets keeper Marlon Beresford will be among them as Ternent has admitted is interest in bringing them in on a permanent basis.

The departure of Kevin Ball after two years at Turf Moor would suggest that a central midfield player will be high on his list of targets as he has regularly skippered the side in the continued absence of Steve Davis during recent weeks and, despite his age, he was always still going after 90 minutes, one of the fittest players in the club.

He made 82 league appearances for the Clarets and featured in all but four games this season.

Having netted twice last season he still maintains that he got the opening goal against Gillingham earlier this month for his only strike of the campaign.

Thomas served the club well for three seasons and played a major part in the promotion to the first division after his move from Luton Town.

His appearance against the Sky Blues on Sunday was his 99th and last for the club in the league having played for Spurs and West Ham as well as Luton in the past.

Both Lennie Johnrose and Tony Ellis were brought to Turf Moor having worked with Ternent at Bury. Johnrose, 32, joined in the 1998-99 season straight from Bury while Ellis, 37, was a surprise summer capture after being released by third division Rochdale.

A number of the club's young players have admitted that he has been a major influence on them in reserve games and on the training ground and he scored a vital winner in the early season game at Bradford City.

The departure of Cennamo is of no great surprise as the player has suffered a complete loss of confidence following his nightmare debut at Cheltenham in the FA Cup.

The 21-year-old was a replacement for his fellow Greek Nik Michopoulos but he was immediately picking the ball out of the back of the net and he never recovered.

That game swiftly followed his contract extension until the end of the season but he never even got back on to the Burnley bench as Ternent opted for five outfield places.

In recent weeks his erratic kicking has caused problems for the reserve side and he admitted: "I am going to go back to Greece for a holiday and visit a few of the smaller islands."

Ternent knows that he needs two quality keepers he can rely on and that is why he can be expected to be on the phone to Middlesbrough keeper Beresford who is out of contract in the summer.

Another 21-year-old John Williamson came through the youth ranks but made just one appearance for the Clarets.