PAUL Gascoigne had no hesitation in backing Burnley to stay in the top six after enjoying an impressive home debut against Bradford City last night.

"I am looking forward to the play-offs because the team is definitely good enough," he enthused after the 1-1 draw at Turf Moor.

"But it has now got to be wins all the way if it is going to be automatic."

The former England star's hunger for success was evident as he admitted: "We are really upset we let the points slip. With three points we would have been comfortable in the play-offs."

The new Turf Moor hero played 85 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Bradford City and, although he visibly tired throughout the second half, did enough to whet the fans' appetites.

And he immediately promised the fans that there is plenty more to come from him in the next few weeks.

"I feel alright considering I have only played one game in five weeks," he said. "I was not getting the pace because it was very, very quick but I will adjust to that. I like it when the game is tight around me.

"I like to get on the ball and put Johnno and the other fella (Ian Moore) through. They make some fantastic runs. I really enjoyed playing with them."

Having been denied a memorable debut goal by Bradford keeper Alan Combe, who somehow tipped his 64th minute free kick away from the top left hand corner, Burnley's new clown prince Paul Gascoigne joked: "David Seaman would have let that in. I definitely thought it was in.

"I had a couple of shots from just outside the box and the one with my left foot just about made the keepers hands."

Gascoigne left the field to a standing ovation but was back on it to warm down with his new team mates ahead of Saturday's trip to Sheffield United.

Gazza did find himself in the referee's book in the second half, rewarding those who had taken the 5-2 on offer for that bet, but more importantly he booked himself into the side for the next few weeks.

There may be a circus surrounding the 34-year-old but there was little doubt who was the ringmaster.

But forget Gazza's debut, furious Stan Ternent could not believe that his side had been denied a clear penalty 13 minutes into the game.

"How that's not a penalty I will never know," he fumed. "If that's not a penalty I don't know what is."

"It is ridiculous. My players work hard for nine months and they don't get a bang to rights penalty.

"These are important decisions that can turn the game. It is not an excuse, it is just a fact"

The object of his fury was Staffordshire official Tony Bates who did not see the foul on David Johnson as he was about to convert a low cross from Ian Moore in the 13th minute.

"You get in trouble if you criticise referees but he was bang out of order. He is responsible to those players out there," he said.

"How can 20 odd thousand people see it and he didn't, it is ridiculous."

Johnson himself had no doubts he had been fouled and was just as baffled by the referees decision.

"It was a great ball in from Mooro and someone caught my legs as I was going to knock it in," he admitted. "I thought the ref was too far away but I'm still surprised the linesman didn't give it."

But despite his anger Ternent refused to be down beat after dropping more points at home as his side climbed to third in the table with just six games to go.

"It has been a good few days work because we have taken seven points out of nine and I am pretty happy with that because we didn't play as well as we can," he said.

"We have got six games to go and are in a really good position. We have got a lot of players out but we will definitely be there or thereabouts."

There will be concern about Glen Little who came off in the second half suffering from "flu or something" according to his manager who said he was shaking.

But Ternent is confident that both Paul Gascoigne and David Johnson will have benefited from playing most of the game and come back fitter and stronger to face Sheffield United on Saturday.