DANNY Ings is ready to put two painful summers behind him and make it third time lucky with Burnley.

Ings is keen to hit the ground running this season after failing to start the last two seasons with the Clarets because of two serious knee injuries.

“I haven’t started the last two seasons with Burnley, but I’ve ended up finishing both strongly,” said Ings, who scored the first goal of Burnley’s 3-0 win over Cork City on Monday, and had a hand in the second.

“The last two years have happened and there is not nothing much I can do about that now and the plan is to put it all behind me. But it has matured me as a person and as a professional.

“I need to keep my fitness up and get as strong as I can and make my knees nice and solid.

“The last two seasons have just started for me when it’s ended, so I’m really excited for the season.”

Ings needed surgery to repair a cartilage tear after a freak training accident in only his second session at Gawthorpe.

He made his comeback through the reserves in January before going on to make his Burnley debut from the bench the following month. Ings ended the season strongly with a run of 15 games and three goals and was looking to take that momentum into last season.

But he was struck down by a second long-term knee injury in the final pre-season friendly at Rochdale, which again required an operation, and did not feature again until October following Eddie Howe’s return to Bournemouth.

The 19-year-old had been tipped as a central figure under Howe but was unable to establish a regular place in the side under Sean Dyche in the second half of the season.

However, Ings started the last three games of 2012/13, scoring in the 2-1 win at Wolves which confirmed the Clarets’ place in the Championship for the forthcoming season.

Meanwhile, Burnley are set to sanction a loan move for young forward George Porter to AFC Wimbledon today.

The 21-year-old signed from Leyton Orient last summer but has yet to make a senior appearance for the Clarets.

Meanwhile, reports in Norway suggest that Dane Richards is on the brink of turning his loan move at Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt into a permanent one should he be able to negotiate a release from Turf Moor.

Richards was signed by former Burnley boss Eddie Howe last summer and only joined the club in January, by which time Sean Dyche was in charge at the Clarets.