STAN TERNENT has warned a section of his players to shape up or face being replaced by new signings.

Ternent was furious with his side's defensive display as the Clarets drew 3-3 at Third Division newcomers Halifax Town on Saturday.

And he pulled no punches as he outlined what's needed to turn the club round before the start of the season proper.

"If they don't improve it's dead easy. I will find somebody who will do the right job for me," said the Burnley boss who had already confirmed his intention to add to his squad and may now be ready to widen his brief.

The Clarets led 1-0 and then 3-1 with goals from Steve Blatherwick, a Mark Sertori own-goal and Andy Cooke but each time Town hit back to earn a deserved draw.

"We have got to learn to defend better than that or we are not going anywhere," added Ternent.

"That was abysmal, absolute rubbish but that's the problem with Burnley Football Club and has been for a while. "I will do something one way or the other. I am not having that. It's my job to sort it out and I will sort it out."

Ternent rotated his defenders again and swapped from a 4-4-2 line-up at half-time to a 3-5-2 formation for the second 45 minutes.

"When I changed it and had a look at one or two other things we were, in a nutshell, rubbish - defensively," he admitted.

"We don't defend from set-pieces. There are free headers, mickey mouse goals. It annoys me. It's schoolboyish.

"If we have got to score four goals away from home to win a game and three goals to draw if it was in the real world ...... no chance, no chance whatsoever.

"It's like a mini racing a Rolls Royce down the motorway. It tries to keep up and blows up. Something has to give and it always seems to be our defence that gives."

Ternent took some comfort from the fact that his side doesn't look short of goals and also welcomed the chance for his players to move towards full match fitness. But he has got a big job on his hands to instill some steel into his side and iron out problems in midfield with just two scheduled pre-season games to go.

"We know we have the facility to score goals and we have got some players in the side but we can't defend," added Ternent who takes his side to Vauxhall Conference side Morecambe tomorrow night and then Rochdale on Saturday.

Ternent, who is sure to be working overtime to line up new faces this week, will also be making fitness checks on Andy Payton and Tony Parks ahead of tomorrow's game at Christie Park after both were injured at Halifax.

Parks picked up a slight groin strain but Payton may be the biggest worry as he tweaked a hamstring which threatens to disrupt his pre-season work.

The experienced striker was plagued by the problem last season and this latest setback could make the possible signing of Ronnie Jepson more pressing.

Jepson again watched Saturday's game from the dug-out as he eases his way back from injury but it would be no surprise to see him become the first of a new number of new arrivals between now and August 8.

Ternent has lost first-team regulars Gerry Harrison, Damian Matthew and Chris Woods, as well as Jamie Hoyland and Chris Vinnicombe, and after giving the current crop of players first bite at the cherry he may now look outside the club for reinforcements.

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