DEAN Marney admitted his Turf Moor farewell was a 'sad' day as his eight-year association with the Clarets comes to an end.

Marney will leave this summer on a free transfer, as will Scott Arfield, and both men were given a rapturous reception at Turf Moor as they said their goodbyes.

Neither were involved against Bournemouth but they were out first for the lap of honour and Marney said he would have liked the chance to prove that he can still contribute to the side.

"I've got a lot of good memories and today was really sad," he said.

"Obviously I would have loved to have had the opportunity to play. I've got a lot of great memories from my time here, I've met some unbelievable people along the way, but there's a touch of disappointment that I didn't really get an opportunity to prove that I can still add to this team.

"I've been here for the best part of eight years but that's just the way football goes.

"I've had some serious injuries that have effectively cost me. Every time I felt good something seemed to happen and obviously the second one was really serious and effectively ended my Burnley career."

Marney joined a club that had just been relegated from the Premier League but he has twice helped them back to the top flight and leaves as the Clarets embark on Europe.

Asked if he ever saw the club being in this position, he said: "If I'm being honest, no. I knew it was a Premier League club but to have the season that the lads have had in getting to Europe it's a massive achievement and it's brilliant for the club.

"It's been a good place to come in and work. The last four or five months have been tough for me because I knew what was coming and then I was just hoping to get an opportunity but it is what it is."

Marney hasn't played for Burnley since suffering his second serious knee injury, against Arsenal in January 2017.

But until that point he had been a key member of the squad under the Dyche era, and asked for his highlight he looked back to the 2013/14 promotion campaign, when the Clarets started the season amongst the favourites for relegation and ended it back in the Premier League.

"The first promotion was the highlight. I've never been involved in a group as good as that," he said.

"We had some unbelievable individual players but the team spirit was something I'd never experienced before. The team spirit now is unbelievable but that group in particular was incredible."