SAM Vokes is ready to put a year of professional pain behind him and focus on helping Burnley earn their place back in the Premier League in 12 months’ time.

The Clarets striker has mostly endured a watching brief during the club’s year back in the top flight, after having their promotion campaign cut short with a ruptured cruciate knee ligament.

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The 25-year-old made his return from the bench in the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool on Boxing Day, nine months after suffering the horror knee injury, but suffered a setback with a thigh injury which forced him to miss crucial games against Leicester and West Ham, both of which ended in 1-0 defeats.

Now, after relegation was confirmed despite beating Hull City 1-0, Vokes is focusing on a winning end to the season so that they can look to start next season with the confidence to mount another promotion push.

“On a personal note it’s been very frustrating, watching from the sidelines and then ending like this,” said the targetman.

“Picking up little niggles in the last couple of weeks for some important games has been frustrating too.

“Everyone has been reflecting on what’s happened and what might have been, but you pick yourself up as you do as players and we’ll come back for the last two games.

“We went into the Hull game knowing that we needed to win three games, and that mentality hasn’t changed really.

“There’s a bit of a different ending but we’re still going into the next two games hoping to win them, and then we’ll start next season afresh.

“It has been a great environment to be around for the last year, in the Premier League. It’s the best place to play your football and it would be great to bounce back.”