Bashley's Back Home

01/03/2025 05:51 AM

Burnley have announced the return of striker Ashley Barnes who has rejoined us until the end of the season having left Norwich by mutual agreement.

The potential return for crowd favourite Barnes had been gathering pace over the past few days and manager Scott Parker was non-committal when asked directly about him at the press conference yesterday.

But Burnley announced the signing on a short term deal for a player I still believe should not have been discarded at the end of the 2022/23 season.

Since leaving for Norwich, he's played 49 times for them including his substitute appearance against us recently and he's scored seven goals for them.

Norwich's sporting director Ben Knapper said yesterday: "Ashley leaves with our very best wishes, and we thank him for his contributions over the last eighteen months. He was an extremely well liked member of our group and an important figure in the dressing room. We all wish him nothing but the best for the future.

Now 35, Barnes, whose last game in Claret & Blue was the final game of the 2022/23 season against Cardiff, was delighted and said: "It feels fantastic to be back home. Burnley has been a massive part of my lief for over a decade, and I can't wait to pull on the Claret shirt again."

Could his second debut come against our local rivals this Saturday. He added: "I know how much this match means to the fans, it means just as much to me. They can rest assured I'll be giving everything for this club every single time I'm wearing the Burnley badge."

It's almost eleven years since Barnes made his Burnley debut as a substitute at Yeovil. He and Burnley Football Club have had some terrific times together since and let's hope that he can give us just a few more on his return.

It feels right having him back at Burnley.