BURNLEY'S shock FA Cup exit at Scunthorpe has at least left the club with a 10-day break to draw breath and take stock.

And while everyone in and around Turf Moor takes the chance to re-charge their batteries, it's vital that the Clarets resume their Division One campaign at Crewe next Saturday with everyone pulling in the same direction.

This should be a memorable season for a club that has seen the other side of the coin too often in recent times.

Before clinching promotion last May, Burnley had spent just one season at this level of League football since 1982/83.

And they are almost certainly guaranteed another one come August thanks to an impressive tilt at life at the top end of the Nationwide League.

Yet as Tuesday night's defeat at Glanford Park again illustrated there remains an under-current of dissatisfaction that is threatening to under-mine the achievements of the past couple of years.

Not for the first time in recent weeks a decision by manager Stan Ternent was booed by the supporters, who have grown increasingly restless since Burnley hit the almost inevitable rough patch at the start of December.

When crowd favourite and proven goalscorer Andy Payton was withdrawn minutes before the end of extra-time with penalties looming the away end erupted.

Ternent was hurt and responded in typically abrasive fashion with a near repeat of the remarks he made following the New Year's Day game against Wolves when his substitutions were again called into question.

The fans weren't to know that Payton was feeling his hamstring but the point is that they need to show more faith in their manager if the club is to present a united front and move forward in harmony.

It's a two-way street of course and Ternent doesn't always endear himself to the paying supporters. He says it how he sees it, which inevitably ruffles a few feathers along the way.

He also makes decisions during games which sometimes raise eyebrows in the stands.

But his track record as Burnley manager is virtually flawless and after two-and-half-years in the hot-seat -- during which time he has dragged the Clarets from the brink of Third Division football to the top 10 in Division One -- he has surely earned the benefit of any doubt.

Patience from both sides -- towards manager, players, supporters and officials -- might ease the path and there is plenty to be positive about as Burnley prepare for the final 19 games of the season.

Starting the campaign so impressively may have worked against the Clarets in that expectations raced to unrealistic levels as a second successive promotion suddenly entered the equation.

The momentum couldn't be maintained and a dip in results, and at times performances, in recent weeks was a bitter pill to swallow for many supporters.

Yet that flying start, which saw the Clarets go into December in fourth place in the table, should really be seen as a blessing.

It brought optimism and excitement to Turf Moor and has provided the foundations for what should still be a successful campaign in which Burnley's Division One status is comfortably retained.

With more cash in the pot next season the Clarets should then be able to take the next step in terms of player recruitment and mount a more sustained challenge for a top-six place.

Naturally everyone wants to see a couple of new faces at Turf Moor and there is always room for improvement. And if subsequent buys are anything like new hero 'Nik the Greek' then the future should be bright.

Ternent won't spend the cash before it's on the way to the bank, however, and a welcome start would be a fully fit Glen Little and Lee Briscoe and a couple of goals for Ian Moore.

In short, the Clarets have much to be pleased about and already this season the plus points far outweight the negative ones.

There may be a feeling of what might have been, but that should be tempered with thoughts of the plight facing the likes of Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield Town.

So enjoy what you've got, remember the bad times and move forward together to what still promises to be a successful few years before Ternent becomes a full time grand-dad.