Burnley FC’s promotion hopes may hinge on January arrival repeating 2014 impact | OneFootball

Ashley Barnes may have to make another positive impact to help get Burnley over the line

Burnley re-signing Ashley Barnes wasn't on anyone's bingo sheet for January but Scott Parker swooped to bring home a man widely regarded as a club legend by Clarets fans.

No one truly expected Barnes would have any meaningful impact on Burnley's promotion push when he arrived at the start of January, and it was widely anticipated that Parker would dip back into the market for another striker.

That didn't prove to be the case though and Barnes is now one of a trio of striking options Parker has at his disposal to close out the season, with the Clarets pushing to finish in the top two.

Being a January arrival, making up a striking trio and pushing for the top two isn't something Barnes hasn't experienced before, as he joined Burnley in a strikingly similar situation back in 2014.

Sean Dyche's side were making an unlikely push for the Premier League back then, and with a shoestring budget, Dyche spent a rumoured £750,000 to bring Barnes to Turf Moor and bolster his striking department.

He went on to have a near decade-long spell with the Clarets, overseeing the glory years to fans of a certain age, and he may need to make a similar level of impact second time around to get Burnley over the line.

Ashley Barnes made a meaningful impact in 2014

Barnes may only have been at Turf Moor for the second half of their 2013/14 promotion campaign, but his impact was huge, which largely owes to a couple of unfortunate injuries.

Burnley cruised through the first half of the season with Danny Ings and Sam Vokes leading the line, but they were the only two strikers at the club, which prompted Dyche to dip into the market and recruit Barnes.

That proved to be a masterstroke when both were incredibly injured at the same time around March/April, which forced Barnes to lead the line on his own for a few weeks until Ings returned to partner him up front.

The former Brighton man only scored three goals in the remainder of the campaign, which may not seem like a huge contribution, but when considering all three opened the scoring in victories, they were worth their weight in gold.

One of those came in the game that sealed Burnley's return to the Premier League when Barnes swept home to finish off a sensational team goal against Wigan Athletic.

Burnley need a similar impact from Ashley Barnes this season

Barnes was only supposed to be a bit-part player in that campaign and would've been but for the injuries, so it's nothing particularly new that this season he carries a similar tag.

If he can carry it as well as he did over a decade ago, chipping in with the odd crucial goal for the Clarets, then his impact could be huge in the scheme of the promotion race.

With their defence as watertight as it is, it only requires one goal to win most games, and if Barnes can manage to chip in with another three goals between now and the end of the season, then it's probable his goals could be worth nine points to Burnley.

Parker isn't exactly flush with options up front and the January arrival offers the kind of physicality that none of his other forwards offer, so his different approach is certainly something that could be utilised in certain games.

He's not had many opportunities to prove what he's capable of so far, but if Burnley pick up any injuries like they did in 2014, then Barnes could soon be a key man once again.