MARK Robertson will not be heading out of Turf Moor - despite claims from his national team boss that he needs to be playing first-team football to win a place in the Olympics.

Australian under-23 international Robertson was only named as a substitute in the Olyroos recent warm-up games in this country.

And he has only made it far as the bench for Burnley this season, apart from a start against Manchester City in the return leg of the Worthington Cup.

But manager Stan Ternent still sees Robertson as an integral part of his squad and doesn't want to lose him.

"He isn't going anywhere and that's the end of it. He's under contract here," said Ternent.

With the Sydney Olympics still a year away, Olyroos coach Raul Blanco appears to be jumping the gun in turning up the heat on Robertson, who agreed a new 12-month deal at Turf Moor in the summer.

The 22-year-old wing-back or midfield man is currently down the pecking order following the arrival of Dean West and given Burnley's current form which had taken them to the top of the table before this afternoon's games.

But that situation may change and Robertson, ruled out of today's trip to Bristol City with a thigh strain, could still end up with a number of games under his belt before he heads back to Australia next summer.

Meanwhile, Burnley went into today's heavyweight clash with Bristol City at Ashton Gate with Ternent insisting his team can improve on the early season form that has confirmed their status as promotion candidates.

The Clarets won five of their opening eight games but Ternent is still looking for a higher standard.

He said: "There's room for improvement. There's always room for improvement.

"If you rest on your laurels and feel you've got where you need to that's no good.

"They will get better. There's a good spirit in the squad and a good camaraderie and they know they have to play well to stay in the side."

And Ternent insists a measure of his side will be how they handle it when things go against them.

So far Burnley have bounced back from each of their three defeats in league and cup with a win in their following game - a trend the manager would like to continue.

"We've had a decent start and we're on target. But it's important how we react to set-backs which no doubt will come through patches of different form, injuries and suspensions," he added.

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