BURNLEY will be keen to speak to Bury boss Stan Ternent regarding the managerial vacancy at Turf Moor when he returns from an end-of-season break tomorrow.

Ternent is one of the leading candidates to replace Chris Waddle and has confirmed that he would look at the situation very closely if Burnley opened the door for a return to the club where he started his career as a player.

And the Clarets are sure to want to talk to the man who has guided Bury from the bottom of the Third Division to First Division safety.

He fits the bill as a manager with a successful background in the Football League and has extensive managerial and coaching experience with Bury, Hull, Blackpool, Sunderland and Chelsea.

Ternent is operating without a contract at Gigg Lane and still lives in Burnley. He has his finger on the pulse regarding the playing strengths at Turf Moor which all contribute to his billing as one of the firm favourites to land the job.

Sam Allardyce and Brian Flynn remain in the frame and Flynn has an on-going arrangement with Wrexham that should a club contact his chairman regarding a vacancy then that interest would be passed on.

However, there appears to have been no contact between the two clubs at this stage. Macclesfield manager Sammy McIlroy has also emerged as a possible front-runner. McIlroy has worked wonders in winning promotion to the Second Division after just one season in the Football League but may be ready for a move to a bigger club.

He attracted the interest of Stoke City and is very highly thought of within the game and it's likely that he would relish the opportunity of trying to restore Burnley's fortunes.

McIlroy has received a glowing testament from former Burnley striker Tony Philliskirk who played 13 games on loan with Macclesfield as they clinched promotion on the back of a season long unbeaten home record.

"For what he has done on what he has got here he should be named manager-of-the-year," said Philliskirk.

"He has gone through the whole season with a squad of 16 and in his first season in the Football League achieved promotion. That's nothing short of phenomenal."

Meanwhile, Chris Woods' future at Burnley has been guaranteed with his agreement on a new one-year deal. With Tony Parks also signing up for a further 12 months, the Clarets have two experienced goalkeepers in place. However, assistant manager Glenn Roeder does not appear to have a future at the club and looks set to leave.

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