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3/8 Both Stephen Grant and Martin Smith are offered three month contracts.

4/8 Ternent says that this is now his team and we will be going for promotion this season. Steve Davis receives his award as Match Magazine Second Division Player of the Season. Glen Little came third.

5/8 Martin Smith opts to sign for Adrian-Heath's-Sheffield-Utd, who have offered him a one year contract. Ternent says that if he had offered Smith a long term deal, he would have signed for us, but he wasn’t prepared to make that offer at this stage, and you can’t sign everyone. The club has several other options in left midfield, including Branch, Cowan and Paul Smith. Grant accepts his short term deal and joins the squad for the trip to Wycombe.

6/8 Ally Pickering, after a trial spell at Warren-Joyce's-Hull, who signed Steve Morgan but not him (?) joins Tranmere on trial. Ternent says he knows what his starting line up is, and has done for some time, and calls for consistency in the coming season. Ahead of the new season, the club reveal they have so far sold 3,500 replica shirts, sold out ground advertising and almost doubled last season’s take up of executive boxes to record levels.

7/8 Another season starts. Wycombe 1 Burnley 1. Our first ever point at the cursed Adams Park. Scorers: Cooke (68) / Jermaine McSporran (27). Team: Crichton, West, Davis, Thomas, Smith, Little, Mellon, Cook (Jepson 61), Mullin (Lee 45), Branch (Payton 61), Cooke. Subs not used: Armstrong and Johnrose. Att: 6,119. See our match report for details. Ternent admits our play was patchy and "unacceptable" shortly before half time, but says we "had them on the ropes" at the end, and believes it was "a good point away from home." It's rumoured that Ternent and Cowan might have had a bit of a falling out; Cowan travelled down with the squad but didn't make the sixteen. Ternent says he will keep on making "tough decisions." Cooke (knee) and Mullin (toe) emerge with injury doubts. Meanwhile, Brian Reid scores a rare goal for Dunfermline.

8/8 Summer target Paul Gerrard keeps goal in Everton’s opening game of the season against Man Utd.

9/8 Andy Cooke says he has no intention of leaving. Paul Lake, having left the club in the summer for ‘personal reasons’ joins Altrincham. With Ian Liversedge having replaced him, we have swapped physios with them.

10/8 A rumour that we have signed Indian striker Banichung Bhutia turns out to be completely false. He has signed for Bury. John Mullin has surgery to remove an ingrowing toenail.

11/8 Manchester City 5 Burnley 0. Team: Crichton, West, Davis, Thomas, Cowan, Little (Grant 67), Cook (Jepson 64), Johnrose, Branch (Lee 52), Mellon, Payton. Subs not used: Smith and Armstrong. Att: 11,074. See our match report for details. Clarets collapse after a decent start on the day of the eclipse. Rather like a Burnley cup win, there'll be another one along sometime in the next millennium. Man City boss Joe Royle says a half time verbal lashing turned the game around, but apologises to his old mate Ternent, saying, "We seem to be saving it for you," while adding, "he'll be hoping they have the same response this time as they had last time we did that to them." Ternent comments that we can play much better but Saturday is now very important. Cooke and Mullin are both absent with Saturday’s injuries.

12/8 Currently residing in the 'Where are they now?' file… Mark Ford is revealed to be playing for minor Belgian club Lommel. Meanwhile, Spencer ‘Liam’ Robinson has joined non-league Northwich, where he will play alongside Nathan Peel, and Mark Monington is said to be making tracks to join the Clarets rejects collection at Warren-Joyce’s-Hull.

13/8 It's rumoured that Bryan Robson, of Bryan-Robson's-Middlesbrough fame, is thinking of selling Marlon Beresford back to us for the same price we paid for him. At the same time, speculation has it that we've bid £250,000 for Andy Marriott. Ternent reveals that he will continue to not pick a reserve goalkeeper on the bench; of course Ronnie Jepson will cover if need be.

14/8 Burnley 2 Chesterfield 1. The day's big new is that Glen Little has been dropped for ‘reasons of form’. Ternent defiantly comments, "We have got competition for places. No-one has a divine right to a place. If you are doing the business you'll be in the side, if not you won't." Scorers: Payton (pen), Johnrose / Reeves (pen). Team: Crichton, West, Cowan, Mellon, Davis (Jepson 28), Thomas, Armstrong, Cook, Lee (Cooke 54), Payton (Little 68), Johnrose. Subs not used: Branch and Smith. Att: 10,615. See our match report for details. Meanwhile, with Chesterfield scoring from yet another dubious penalty, the alleged offender Tom Cowan says, "Paul Holland, who I know quite well, turned round and said I can't believe I've won that and I said neither can I." Davis is substituted with a calf strain that could keep him out for up to three weeks. All rounder Jepson replaces him at the back for the rest of the game. Armstrong plays despite suffering from flu during the week. The match sees the launch of the club’s new Family Village scheme, designed to attract more children to Turf Moor. The youth team draw 2-2 at Wigan, Alex Kevan scoring both the goals.

16/8 Burnley reveal that they are restoring the town's motto to the club crest. From now on ‘Pretiumque et causa laboris’, meaning 'the prize is the cause of our labours', will be emblazoned across the main entrance at Turf Moor and included in the programme. Carl Smith joins Worksop Town of the Unibond Premier League.

17/8 Alan Lee is called up for the Eire Under-21 squad for games against Yugoslavia, Croatia and Malta, and will miss Bristol Rovers away and Bournemouth at home. Mark Robertson is also called into the Australian Under-23 squad to attend a training camp at Southampton and play some friendly games, if he is passed fit.

18/8 Burnley Reserves 1 Grimsby Reserves 0 in the new Pontins League Premier Division. Grant gets the goal. Team: Mawson, Robertson, Smith (Scott), Brass, Williamson, Maylett, Mullin (Kevan), Weller, Branch, Grant, Shandran. Brass, Mullin and Robertson all return from injury, but Mullin picks up a new hip injury in this game and will once again be out. Significantly, this is Weller’s first return game since his stomach operations and his next step on the road to recovery.

19/8 Ternent denies we are interested in Jody Craddock, a Su’lan’ defender.

20/8 Brass, Robertson and Weller are all added to the squad for the game at Oldham.

21/8 Oldham 0 Burnley 1. Scorer: Payton. Team: Crichton, West, Cowan, Mellon, Thomas, Armstrong, Cook (Jepson 78), Cooke (Branch 62), Smith, Payton (Lee 84), Johnrose. Subs not used: Little and Brass. Att: 8,543. See our match report for details. We climb to fourth in this seminal table, despite failing to make the most of our superiority over Oldham, who are popularly asserted to be the worst side we have faced in recent years. Micky Mellon comments on how much he enjoys playing in attacking midfield (oh, that’s alright then) and says we must have a strong squad if we can afford to leave Glen Little on the bench. That’s one interpretation, certainly. Cooke’s hamstring injury leaves us with a shortage of strikers, as he’s likely to miss the next four games. Meanwhile, and ominously for defenders everywhere, Andy Payton comments, "you know what my targets are."

23/8 Stephen Grant reveals that the Eire Under-21 manager wasn’t aware that he had joined Burnley, and he now hopes to get back into the squad alongside Alan Lee.

24/8 Burnley 0 Manchester City 1. Scorer: Terry Cooke. Team: Crichton, Robertson, Cowan, Mellon (West, 50), Thomas, Armstrong, Little, Brass, Lee (Jepson 60), Johnrose, Branch (Grant 68). Subs not used: Payton and Smith. Att: 3,647. See our match report for details. Our unbeaten home record stretching back to March ends. Mellon misses the game with a stomach upset.

25/8 The official opening of the Jimmy McIlroy Stand is delayed as the great man recovers from heart surgery. It was due to be opened for the match against another old club, Stoke, on Saturday.

26/8 Robertson is passed fit to join the Australian Olympic squad from the weekend. They will play Southampton and Kuwait Under-23s.

27/8 John Turkington, who had invested substantially in the rights issue, becomes a Director. Ternent says he is pleased with the way things are going on the pitch and adds, "Now I just need to get Glen Little back on top form and we will be alright."

28/8 Burnley 1 Stoke 0. Scorer: Payton. Team: Crichton, West, Smith, Cowan, Thomas, Armstrong, Johnrose, Mellon (Little 55), Cook (Jepson 84), Payton, Lee (Branch 46). Subs not used: Brass and Robertson. Att: 11,328. See our match report for details. Jimmy McIlroy’s son Paul picks up his Football League Legend medal at half time. Gavin Ward plays for Stoke.

30/8 Bristol Rovers 1 Burnley 0. Scorer: Cureton (pen 36). Team: Crichton, West, Brass, Thomas, Cowan (Robertson 63) (Mullin 79), Armstrong, Little, Mellon, Cook (Jepson 70), Branch, Payton. Subs not used: Grant and Maylett. Att: 7,624. See our match report for details. The fifteen match league unbeaten run stretching from last season comes to an end. This is our first away defeat in the league since last February. The game is miserable, the referee appalling. Remember the name of Keith Hill. His penalty decision was a joke. Thomas, the alleged offender, says, "I think the referee said I pulled him aside but I didn't touch him. Not even the crowd were shouting." Ternent goes full steam ahead, saying, "I'm not allowed to say too much about referees but on this occasion I think I'm fully justified in saying the referee was not, repeat not, up to scratch." Despite not being allowed to say much, he adds, "Also he has a responsibility, not just to the football managers and players, but to the Burnley travelling supporters. They've travelled over 200 miles to watch a game of football that's been ruined by a shoddy, not up-to-scratch performance. The referee is not, repeat not, good enough to referee at Football League level if that is his level of performance." He goes still on, "If I'm censured then I'll be censured for telling the truth. And if I had to call some witnesses, I don't know what the gate was, I think I could probably call eight, nine or ten thousand. I think I'm on solid ground. It's in the cold light of day after the game and I'm saying straight from the heart what happened. That was an absolutely appalling display from a referee. So something has to be done about it and hopefully the powers that be will act on it." A call from the FA could now be a possibility.

31/8 Man City Reserves 4 Burnley Reserves 1. Scorer: Williamson. Team: Mawson, Savage (Bowden), Kevan, Scott, Williamson (Devenney), Heywood, Weller, Clarke (Davis), Shandran, Grant, Maylett. Alan Lee plays for Eire Under 21's in Dublin against Yugoslavia, but they lose 2-0. Ternent says he wants Robertson to available for his squad against Bournemouth and will drive him up from Southampton if need be. Burnley are said to be planning to open a merchandise shop in the town centre. Blimey. Wigan prepare to stare oblivion in the face as John Bond joins his old mucker John Benson to assist with coaching and scouting. Hmm, wonder if Tommy Hutchison’s still available? And what are the odds on Bond turning up when we play them?