STAN Ternent has started planning for next season - opting for a scouting mission while his Burnley side drew at play-off hopefuls Wigan yesterday.

Ternent left number two Sam Ellis holding the reins as the Clarets, who secured their Second Division safety on Saturday, extended their unbeaten run to 10 games in a 0-0 draw.

Ellis remained tight-lipped about Ternent's whereabouts and the manager wasn't giving any clues today.

But it's likely he was watching a possible summer target in his bid to strengthen his squad as he confirmed: "I'm already planning for next season. It's a very busy time."

One game Ternent wasn't at was at Saltergate to see the only other League fixture of the day between Chesterfield and Northampton.

That ended goalless to leave the Cobblers certain to need something from their final match of the season against Burnley on Saturday to have any chance of staying up.

Top-flight Pontin's League games may have been Ternent's destination instead.

"He's away working elsewhere getting ready for next season. He's done his work, kept us up and he's got us all organised now.

"It looks like Burnley's a club that's going places for once," said defender Chris Brass, who contributed to a fourth clean sheet in five games for the Clarets, who are now 13th in the table - their best of the season.

"It was a backs-to-the-wall job for a bit of the time but we defended well. We have a good spirit at this present time and the resilience is getting into the team. And you have got to have that," stressed Ellis.

"It's pleasing to extend the run and it was the pleasing the way we did it. We had patience, we had resilience and at the end of the day we created the best chance of the game." Paul Crichton kept Burnley on course for an unbeaten finish to the campaign with a penalty save from Carl Bradshaw which cost Wigan the chance to move into the play-off zone.

"It was nearly as good as the save their keeper made from Reidy," added Ellis, with reference to a finger-tip stop from Roy Carroll to stop Brian Reid putting Burnley ahead moments after Crichton had blocked Bradshaw's spot-kick.

Burnley dug deep to keep their run going and showed no signs of coasting into the summer on the back of their critical win over Fulham two days earlier.

"It was a test of our professionalism and I thought they came through that really well," added Ellis, who is expecting a similar approach for the finale at the Sixfields Stadium.

"If they do it the game after you would expect them to do it on Saturday.

"We will just get as many points as we can and see where that takes us. I don't think we will be crowing about where we finish after the season we've had. "But great credit to the players for the last part of the season and let's hope we can finish it off on Saturday."

Burnley's reserves will bid to make it a double relegation escape when they entertain Manchester City in their final Pontins League Division One game of the season at Turf Moor tonight (kick-off 7.15).

The Clarets need to win to overhaul Barnsley, who they pipped to the Second Division title 12 months ago, and will include Mark Robertson and Paul Smith as they continue on the comeback trail.

Clarets boss Stan Ternent has been pipped for the April Second Division manager-of-the-month award by Walsall's Ray Graydon.

The Clarets went unbeaten through the month with three wins and three draws to escape from relegation.

But Graydon took the prize after overseeing five wins from seven matches which set up the Saddlers' promotion to Division One.

Watford's Graham Taylor took the First Division award, and Ron Noades of Brentford the Third.

Burnley will wear white shirts with a claret and blue trim as their second strip next season after the design was overwhelmingly backed in the supporters' poll.

The kit, which has blue shorts with claret and white edging, was chosen ahead of four other designs produced by new kit suppliers Super League.

Readers of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph were asked to vote on their favourite strip and the club received over 1,000 replies, with the winning design polling 740 of the votes.

There are three important games in the Second Division relegation scramble tonight, when Lincoln entertain Wrexham, Macclesfield go to Notts County and Oldham meet Stoke.

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