‘Had to come home’: Ashley Barnes’ first words after sealing sensational Burnley return ahead of the derby

The 35-year-old shocked the internet late on Thursday night when he rejoined his former side on a short-term deal until the end of the season.

The forward, who ended his nine-year spell in East Lancashire in the summer of 2023, said it was only right he came back home.

“I’m absolutely over the moon,” he told Clarets+. “I’m delighted it’s even happened - it’s like a dream come true, it genuinely is.

“To be honest I couldn't believe it actually happened. It’s been a stressful few weeks of uncertainty, but once I spoke to Alan [Pace] and the boss I had to come home.

“It was an easy answer for me as soon as I knew Burnley were involved, it was always going to be one place for me if we could pull it off and luckily enough we’ve made it happen.

“This is my home. When someone says home, this is home for me. If you have to say one club, this is definitely home for me.

“It’s inevitable for my family, it means so much to them as well as myself. I had a great rapport here with the fans and everyone in the building. Hopefully we can go and create something special this season.”

It’s been a whirlwind few days for Barnes, who had his contract cancelled at Norwich City by mutual consent to pave way for his Turf Moor return.

“I didn’t really know what was happening but then I had a phonecall [on Thursday] telling me my Norwich deal was getting terminated, they’ve agreed everything and it was just a matter of choosing somewhere to go and be happy,” the 35-year-old added.

“That was the situation here. As soon as they knew that was the situation they acted very quickly and we’ve managed to get it done.”

Barnes was only able to train on Friday, while he was also kept busy signing autographs on his return to the Gawthorpe HQ.

“It felt surreal in a way, it felt like I’ve never been away,” he said. “Just driving through Padiham and coming over the hill over Accrington and into the valley, I couldn’t believe it was happening. It felt like I was just coming here for a day to see everyone.

“To see everyone’s faces, it felt amazing. Everyone has made me feel welcome.

“The lads didn’t know, I couldn’t tell them. Everyone happened so quickly, it all came out of the blue and it was done.

“The lads couldn’t believe it, they couldn’t believe I hadn’t told them, so it was nice to see their faces drop this morning.”

The timing of Barnes’ return couldn’t have been much better, with the legendary forward arriving on the eve of derby day.

The striker, who famously bagged a brace against Rovers during the 2022/23 promotion season, is champing at the bit to be involved.

“I have very good memories [of the derby],” he said. “I’ve already had a text message from Danny Batth from them lot down the road because I played with him at Norwich. I think he’s panicking a bit already.

“I’ve had some amazing memories against them and obviously the last time out was a very special time - both times.

“I can not wait, I just hope I’m on that coach. I hope I can play a part and be involved if everything gets sorted in time. I just want to be in and around it.”