STAN Ternent is facing a deadline striking poser as the Clarets gear up for a final assault on Second Division safety, writes Pete Oliver.

Ternent has until Thursday's tea-time transfer deadline to reinforce his squad with a move for a new goalscorer the only matter seemingly up for debate.

Saturday's 1-1 draw at Wrexham didn't get the Clarets out of the bottom four but showed again that they are heading back in the right direction.

Recent arrivals Tom Cowan and Paul Cook, and the return of Chris Brass, have helped Burnley take on a more solid look.

But Andy Payton again played as a lone striker with support from the flanks. And Ternent has to choose whether to recruit a new partner for him or play the same way until Ronnie Jepson and Andy Cooke are fit again.

"That's the decision I have to make," said the Burnley boss.

"But it's not just a case of getting somebody, it's can you get somebody?

"There are a lot of other sides in this position and others going for promotion and the play-offs."

Proven and available goalscorers are particularly thin on the ground and Ternent's hand could be strengthened by the fact that Jepson is due to step up his comeback in the reserves at home to Middlesbrough tomorrow night. I would still expect him to continue to search for a forward as added insurance cover for the last 10 games.

But it won't be the end of the world for the Burnley boss if he draws a blank. Ternent added: "If I am going to sign somebody I won't broadcast it. I will see what happens but I have got things on my mind all the time.

"But the deadline isn't until Thursday and we don't play until Sunday.

"I think we are creating chances and sooner or later someone's going to get a beating. Hopefully that will be sooner rather than later."

It took a Micky Mellon goal 15 minutes from time to earn Burnley their first point in five games at the Racecourse Ground. But despite an increasingly anxious wait to end a seven-hour barren spell in front of goal, a draw was the least Burnley warranted for another decent away performance.

"It was an excellent goal and he finished it really well. I was really pleased to see it go in because it looked like one of those days again. It's a start and we can build on that, hopefully," said Ternent.

"We played very well and I am quite pleased with them. It's a step in the right direction.

"We would have liked three points but at the end of the day it's a start. We got a goal and we'll take the point, although I felt overall we deserved to win the match.

"We played very well against Preston and they carried that on. They lost it for a little spell in the middle of the game but we changed it and I thought if anyone was going to win it was going to be us." The Clarets had fallen behind against the run of play when Dave Brammer interrupted a slick Burnley start with a 25-yard screamer which Ternent admitted left him thinking "here we go again."

"But they showed great resilience, great character and not a little skill and I felt we fully deserved to get something out of the game," Ternent added.

"We played well against Preston and didn't get a break and did well again on Saturday. And if we can maintain that level of performance then I'm sure we will be fine.

"If we keep battling as we are doing and playing as we are doing and believing in ourselves I'm sure we will be okay." Burnley's next four games are against fellow relegation candidates, starting against in-form Macclesfield at Turf Moor on Sunday.

A run of positive results could pull his side clear of danger, but Ternent stressed: "They are all important games at this stage of the proceedings. There are three points at stake, that's the importance of it. None are any more important than another."

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