Lafferty hoping for big season at Turf Moor

In recent years supporters have been crying out for the then boss Nigel Worthington to start selecting players from the area and since the ex-Norwich City manager’s departure from the NI hotseat, the new boss has not only brought in Lafferty, but he has also visited the Brandywell in recent weeks.

The Burnley defender will be joined in the squad with fellow local men Paddy McCourt and Shane Ferguson, while ex-City winger Niall McGinn is also in, however there was no place for Derry keeper Gerard Doherty, but Lafferty believes his chance will come sooner rather than later.

“It’s a good representation from Derry in the squad and it’s good that the city and the North West area is starting to get recognised,” stated Lafferty.

“Gerard is a top keeper and although he isn’t in this squad I know he will get a call-up.”

The 23-year-old who moved to Turf Moor in January also acknowledges that his time with The Clarets has been a little frustrating, but he also believes that he can more than hold his own in the Championship.

“To be honest it has been a frustrating few months for me,” he added.

“Whenever I went over at the start it took me a while to get up to speed with things, but then whenever I did I had a few niggling injuries which meant I was out for a few weeks, then I got into the team and picked up another small injury and then the season ended just when I was starting to get into my rhythm.

“My aim is to knuckle down and hopefully get a good pre-season under my belt and then force my way back into the Burnley squad.

“When I first went over you are always thinking that the Championship is just one level down from the Premier League, but I feel that whenever I settled into things that I wasn’t a million miles away from what I was doing in the League of Ireland with Derry City and that gave me confidence.

“Yes they are a lot more physical and there are more athletes in the Championship than in the League of Ireland, but as I have said players coming from here and going over certainly won’t be that far away.”