RISING star Brad Maylett will be just one of a crop of highly rated youngsters at Turf Moor to be offered new contracts by Stan Ternent.

Maylett has forced his way into the first-team picture at Burnley and will be rewarded with his first professional deal in the summer.

His has been the most meteoric rise but Ternent believes there are several other youngsters with bright futures ahead of them who he will be keeping on to allow them to flourish with the Clarets.

One of those is central defender John Williamson, who has impressed in the reserves and junior sides, who will be taken onto the staff at the end of the season.

Ternent said: "Brad will be offered a contract. He has earned it. He's done very well for 17 and has got the makings of a good player.

"But there are more than just Brad. There will be four, five or six kids I will be offering contracts to and another four or five where I will be extending contracts.

"Quite a few are showing sings of being decent players."

Maylett made his Football League debut as a substitute in Burnley's 4-0 win at Colchester last October.

He is yet to start a game, but the second year trainee has been an almost permanent fixture on the substitutes' bench since. And in recent games Maylett, who comes from Manchester, has made a real impact when being introduced on the right flank.

Ternent is likely to bring the teenage winger on gradually, having been forced to pitch young players into the fray earlier in the season.

They are now back in the reserves learning their trade but the likes of Matty Heywood, Chris Scott, Paul Graham and Michael Devenney also look to have longer term futures at Burnley.

Meanwhile, Burnley physio Paul Lake is working towards clearing his treatment room as Ronnie Jepson and Paul Smith continue their comebacks from injury.

Jepson, who hasn't played since rupturing an Achilles tendon at Reading in September, has joined in with some of the training with the first-team squad.

And Paul Smith, recovering from minor operations to both knees, is also stepping up his fitness fight.

"He's doing about three days without a reaction so when he can do a full week's training we'll let him loose," said Ternent.

Paul Weller will have the second of three operations on his stomach problem on Monday, ahead of schedule.

But Glen Little was added to the injured list this week and is undergoing treatment for an abductor strain. "We have got to get him dead right. We need him fit," added the Burnley boss.

Lee Howey's move to Northampton is still ongoing.

Off the field, former chairman Frank Teasdale confirmed this week that he is staying on the board to work alongside new member Ray Ingleby, despite an uneasy relationship between the two during Ingleby's failed takeover bid for the club. "I have never said anything about Ray Ingleby or David Parry (his UK representative). You won't find any quotes," said Teasdale.

"And if anybody puts that amount of money in nobody, including me, would want to prevent them from being on the board.

"I said that publicly and on Monday I voted on it. It's right."

Teasdale, replaced as chairman by Barry Kilby, added: "My role is on the Second Division committee, the Pontins League committee and with the school of excellence and I will be doing as much as I can to help wherever I can."

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