AFTER eight years together in a managerial team Stan Ternent and Sam Ellis can claim to have a telepathic understanding - and against Walsall they will need one.

The touchline ban that sees manager Ternent, who has slammed the decision, sent to the stands means that his assistant Ellis will be the man closest to the pitch as the Clarets seek to extend their unbeaten run into double figures.

But Ellis smiled: "Can you see him not saying anything?

"He will be in a strategic place and I am sure he will have worked something out but we have not discussed it yet.

"I am sure he will get his message across and I don't think it will make much difference. The important thing is he will be in the dressing room before the game, at half time and then after it.

"We were both in the boy scouts so perhaps we will keep in touch by Morse code!"

Ellis is no stranger to the touchline, himself having managed throughout four decades in the game and he will not be changing his approach as he confessed: "I don't think I can shout any more than I do already."

The Clarets will be without the considerable presence of big striker Gareth Taylor against the Saddlers but Ellis explained that they are ready to adapt their game plan to suit the players available.

"We are capable of playing to different players assets, I think that is understood," he said. "Some people in the side have certain strengths, others have others.

"But we are quite happy that it has turned out that Gareth is suspended when he is away on international duty anyway, sometimes those sort of things work out well for you."

However, there will still have to be a roll-call of fit players before Ternent names his team for the weekend although Ellis was philosophical about it all.

"You will get injuries, suspensions and international call-ups and that is just something you have to deal with, you accept that happens" he said.

"That is why we have a squad that we think we has an abundance of talent. We have no pressing long term problems but we have got some small niggles and we won't really know before tomorrow morning."

Despite the nine match unbeaten run, Ellis agrees with the manager that there is more to come from this Burnley team but he said: "We have played some good football in patches and we believe that the quality of our football is improving."

He was delighted with the high quality of the goals scored at Hillsborough last week but he admitted: "It is nice to score them from on the line or from a mistake because they all count."

The Clarets won this fixture last season 5-2, a rollercoaster ride as Ellis recalled: "They came back from 2-0 down to 2-2 which we were not happy about and then a few people were not happy about Lee Briscoe coming on and he scored two goals."

With four of the next five matches away from Turf Moor Ellis knows it is important to get a win under their belt but he said: "We feel we can win any game."

Talk of the Spurs game has not been banned but no one is looking further ahead than tomorrow and making it ten unbeaten will make sure that Stan is a happy man in the stands!