We should have had a penalty claims Ternent

(Ricketts 53, 72)

IT probably goes against the grain even to suggest it, but Burnley might just be glad to be heading for Yorkshire this afternoon.

After all, Lancashire hasn't been too kind to the Clarets in recent weeks.

Two goals from super-sub Michael Ricketts gave Bolton the honours on Saturday and meant three derby defeats in a row, Burnley's worst run since Wycombe, Gillingham, Manchester City and Preston rattled in 14 goals without reply in the Spring of 1999.

"We then went 10 or 12 games and never lost for ages, so I hope the same things happens

"We're having a little spell where it isn't going for us. That's three games we've lost to local rivals, which is hard to stomach," said manager Stan Ternent, who has led the club on a rapidly rising curve since the Clarets bottomed out with those four defeats.

The graph has hit a plateau in the last couple of weeks as Burnley have slipped to ninth in Division One on the back of those derby disappointments.

But a crisis it isn't and Burnley will just have to be patient until they have gathered their resources to push onto the next level.

It's no secret that Ternent is trying to add to his squad which was exposed again here with the absence of strikers Andy Payton and Ian Moore through injury.

Until that happens it remains a case of hanging in there and showing the necessary resolve to stop the rot, with this afternoon's trip to stuttering Barnsley providing the next opportunity.

Having survived a torrid opening at the hands of an in-form Bolton side Burnley settled down to play their part in a highly entertaining game.

However, despite the best efforts of the ever-willing John Mullin and a couple of flashes of enterprise from his strike partner Graham Branch, they were short of a cutting edge.

Bolton's central defensive pairing of Colin Hendry and Gudni Bergsson have a combined age of over 70 but weren't stretched enough by players either running at them or turning them by getting round the back.

With recognised goalscorers thin on the ground Burnley needed a break in the box and they were crucially denied one four minutes into the second half.

Burnley's ploy of trying to catch the Bolton back four square worked to perfection thanks to a lovely ball over the top from the returning Paul Smith, which picked out Paul Weller.

His square pass looked perfect for Micky Mellon to score from eight yards but the midfielder was seemingly clipped from behind by Hendry and went down before making contact with the ball.

"In my view it was a blatant penalty," said Ternent.

"Paul Weller got down the inside right channel, he's clean in, rolled it across the goal past the goalkeeper, Michael goes to tap it in and Colin Hendry came in behind and got him across the calves. The referee played on and the linesman had a clear view of it as well."

To make matters worse for Burnley, Jussi Jaaskelainen followed up with a smart save from Branch and the Clarets' charge was nipped in the bud by Ricketts moments later as he converted a Ricardo Gardner cross to make it 1-0 with his first touch since leaving the bench.

Ternent added: "There are two things that are vitally important from a referee's point of view, one is sendings off and the other is penalty decisions.

"And it seems to me that in the middle of the park there is some innocuous stuff and they blow up for the least little thing but when it gets in the deep end when it really is important then they don't want to make those decisions.

"So I think if he looks at it on the video in hindsight he will realise he's made a mistake.

"At the end of the day we all make mistakes, it's just that that was costly for us.

"And I didn't think we played that badly. It was just a case that the first goal was of vital importance and unfortunately they got it and we didn't. The first goal in that game was always going to go a long way to deciding who would win the match."

Indeed it did and just to make sure Ricketts added a second and his 14th of the season to keep Bolton in second place 18 minutes from time, profiting from more good work from Gardner to drill a low left-foot shot past Nik Michopoulos.

Burnley had a chance to counter straight away but Ian Cox failed to make the most of an inviting free-kick from Smith.

And while the Clarets peppered the box for a spell and threatened through substitute Glen Little, Bolton had few alarms in holding out to subject Burnley to their second home defeat of the campaign.

Such an outcome had looked on the cards early on as Bolton's wide men and midfielders broke through too frequently for the home side's liking.

Michopoulos kept them at bay, however, with smart saves from Ian Nolan, twice, and Gareth Farrelly.

And Burnley gradually got a foothold in the game thanks to Mullin's probing and Weller's darting runs down the right. Branch shot straight at Jaaskelainen when well placed and Kevin Ball had a header hacked away from goal by Robbie Elliott.

A goal then or a more sympathetic view later on from referee Phil Richards might have avoided the hat-trick of defeats.

Instead Burnley are now hoping to come up smelling of White Roses.