PAUL COOK and Andy Payton have come back to Turf Moor this week and manager Stan Ternent admitted: "We need everyone we have got available."

Both players left for loan spells at the start of last month but Ternent is delighted to have them back at the club.

"I'm pleased to have Cooky back and he went straight into the squad for the Canvey Island game," he said. "But he has lost his place in the team and so it will be up to him to win it back.

"He went to Wigan on loan and that was just how it was at the time. But he is back now and we need him.

"I keep saying that we need to strengthen the squad and having Paul Cook back does that.

"As for Andy Payton, he really needed to play some first team games and he has done that at Blackpool. At the same time I had to play Dimitri Papadopoulos a bit so that meant Andy would not get a chance here.

"The good thing for me is that they have both come back fit and raring to go."

For the past few weeks Ternent has been stressing the need for the Clarets to strengthen their squad and, almost inevitably, that has increased the speculation about players coming in.

"We have got 20 league games left and everyone knows I would like to add to my squad," he said. "I do not comment on speculation but I can say that I am looking at different players all the time.

"If I can bring players in and let them play in the reserves it gives me a chance to look at them in action."

The reserve team has not played during the Christmas period but Ternent did arrange a behind closed doors friendly against Bolton on Wednesday afternoon to allow his ring rusty players to get an important run-out ahead of this afternoon's FA Cup tie with the Ryman League leaders.

"The reserve team effectively closed down over Christmas and the first team has had matches frozen off so it was important for us to have a proper game," said Ternent who watched his players in action at Turf Moor.

The icy weather also forced the Clarets to spend more time in the gym than on the training ground in the past week but as assistant manager Sam Ellis said: "That is the same for anyone when it is like this.

"It is difficult for everybody in this weather but we always found somewhere and you can't make excuses."

And having had a couple of games called off during the festive period Ellis is delighted that the Clarets' league position remains a healthy one.

"We still find ourselves in a good position and we have taken some positives out of the last league game even though we lost 5-1 at Manchester City," he said. "That was only our first defeat in 11."

A week today Burnley travel to Selhurst Park to take on Wimbledon in their next first division fixture. It was on the eve of their last trip to that ground, for the clash with Crystal Palace at the start of December, that Cook was allowed to leave for a month's loan.

At the time some felt he might never play for the club again but he could now make his return to first division action against the Dons - if he can fight his way back into the side.

Meanwhile, striker Gerald Sibon is the latest name to be linked with a move to Turf Moor after suggestions that he wants a move away from Sheffield Wednesday.