Clarets boss Stan Ternent was this morning named as the Nationwide First Division Manager of the Month for November.

The award completed a great weekend for the 55-year-old who saw his side win at Crystal Palace to go top of the table and then closest rivals Wolves lose yesterday to leave them there.

It is Ternent's first award since he won the second division prize in April 2000 when the Clarets closed in on promotion.

Burnley won four games and drew one last month as they roared back to the top of the table after a run of just six points from 24.

But before today's announcement Ternent was quick to praise everyone else at the club whose efforts helped him to earn the latest recognition of his talents.

"We all work extremely hard on the training ground," he said. "I have got a very good staff, very good coaches and our players are getting better all the time."

Ternent narrowly missed out on winning the award for August, being pipped by Grimsby's Lennie Lawrence, but he was always the front runner for November.

News of the award will come as no surprise to Trevor Francis, the new Crystal Palace manager who was the latest to taste defeat at the hands of Ternent's men on Saturday.

"I have great admiration for Stan Ternent and the job he has done," he said.

"His teams are tough and uncompromising and they work incredibly hard for one another.

"Burnley did well last season, finishing just outside the play-offs and they deserve to be up there now.

"The big difference with us is that they are playing with incredible self belief. When you are at the top things do seem to go for you."

Ternent admitted the arrival of a new manager had been discussed before Saturday's game.

"We talked about Palace being out to impress the new manager but we are on the back of a decent run," he said. "We are playing with confidence and good consistency."

That confidence allowed the players to dig in despite not playing their best and record a 2-1 victory thanks to a brace from striker Ian Moore.

Moore, who had gone 13 games without a goal, was understandably deligfhted to end his goal drought on a day when top scorer Gareth Taylor was suspended.

The announcement of the award for the manager was delayed until today because Gillingham had a game on Friday night and Gills manager Andy Hessenthaler was also enjoying a good month.

That means that it won't be until Sunday at Deepdale that Ternent will face the dreaded curse of the manager of the month award that seems to have the winning boss lose his next game on a regular basis.

But such is the confidence in the Clarets camp such superstitions will be of little concern and they will be hoping to give the manager another reason to celebrate by recording a third successive away win against promotion rivals.