THE timing of Burnley’s last fixture and their next is not lost on Andre Gray.

“It’s Sod’s Law,” says the striker, looking ahead to tomorrow’s trip to Ashton Gate.

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Bristol City was expected to be his next destination after Brentford accepted a reported £9million offer for the striker last week.

But after going for talks Gray decided against it and instead chose Turf Moor, on the eve of their home game with the Bees.

“It was a career decision for me,” said Burnley’s record £6million signing, who watched last weekend’s first win of the season from the stands.

“A lot of people will be out there saying it was money or whatever but it was nothing like that.

“Anyone who knows me will know that wasn’t the case.

“That wasn’t a big part of it whatsoever. It was about football and what I want to do with my career, not just for now but for the future.

“Sitting down with people that are close to me and people that know the game as well, we thought that this was the best decision for me.

“My decision was never going to be made on speaking to one club.

“It was a career factor and not just getting out of Brentford.

“It would have been frustrating for Bristol as much as it was for me.

“I spoke to them, but I hope they didn’t take it personally and I hope they understood that it was my career more than anything.

“That’s no disrespect to Bristol and saying I couldn’t do well there, but it wasn’t just my decision, it was talking to the closest people to me and this is the decision I came to.

“I respect Bristol, they came up with a lot of money for me and showed massive interest in me and I can’t thank them enough for that, but the best decision for me and my career was to come here.”

Gray is likely to make his debut at Ashton Gate tomorrow, and admits it could be awkward.

“It may be a little bit. It’s Sod’s Law that we played Brentford the day after I signed and then we’ve got Bristol.

“I’m not bothered though, it’s football.

“I’ll probably get a few boos and jeers but it’s part of the game,” said the 24-year-old, who said last weekend’s visit of Brentford was the perfect chance to say his goodbyes.

“Funnily enough I was staying in the same hotel so as soon as I walked in I bumped into the manager,” the former Luton Town striker revealed.

“I’ve got a great relationship with them, I didn’t leave on bad terms with any of the staff, and especially the boys. They were the best for me.

“Obviously they didn’t want me to leave for the sake of the team but for my career I thought it was the right time to go.

“It was difficult to some extent but not another.

“I’ve got good people around me who are going to give me an honest opinion and their honest opinion was that this was the best place for me to progress.

“I’ve got a lot of work to do.

“I’ve only had one season in the Championship and I’m still very raw and I’ve still got a lot to work on, so that was the main thing for me.”