TERRY Pashley is set to take temporary charge of Burnley, after Eddie Howe finalised his return to AFC Bournemouth last night.

The Lancashire Telegraph under-stands that the youth team coach has been asked to oversee first team affairs until a new manager is found.

The search has now begun for Howe’s successor, but Clarets chief executive Lee Hoos has all but ruled out a return for former boss Owen Coyle.

Howe’s move was drawn out because of several rounds of negotiations while the clubs haggled over a compensation package. They are believed to have reached a £900,000 settlement – around double what Burnley paid Bournemouth for Howe 21 months ago.

The 34-year-old said ‘family and personal reasons’ alone were the driving force behind his decision to go back to the Cherries.

In his time at Turf Moor he celebrated the birth of his first child, Harry, but suffered the devastating sudden loss of his mother, Annie, which has naturally had a lingering impact.

Speaking exclusively to the Lancashire Telegraph as he began a four-and-a-half hour journey from his house in Greater Manchester to the south coast, he stressed Saturday’s 4-3 loss at Crystal Palace – his last game in charge – did not tip the balance, adding that Bournemouth was the only club he would have left the Clarets for.

“It’s been a very difficult decision, one that I didn’t take lightly, but in my personal life there have been life-changing events. My main priority has to be my family,” he said.

Coyle was immediately installed as the bookmakers’ tip for a controversial return to Turf Moor following his sacking at Bolton Wanderers – the club he quit the Clarets for in January 2010.

Contenders for the Burnley hotseat include a clutch of other ex-Clarets. Fleetwood Town boss Micky Mellon and Accrington Stanley manager Paul Cook are former Burnley midfielders and have made an impact at their respective clubs, while former defender Steve Davis helped Crewe win promotion to League One after taking over from Dario Gradi part-way through last season.

Portsmouth boss Michael Appleton has no previous connection with the club but hails from Salford and a northern link could appeal to the Burnley board, who insist they will not make a decision in haste – despite playing their next game in a week’s time, a televised clash at home to Blackpool.

Hoos said: “It’s making sure we get the right guy in and not being rushed into appoint someone for the sake of having someone appointed before Blackpool.

“We need to find a manager who is going to fit in with the style and the infrastructure that we have right now to take the club forward, and not the other way around.”

Of the prospect of Coyle returning, Hoos said he was unaware of an application from the Scot at this stage. Speaking about Coyle’s controversial exit, he said: “I wasn’t here when it all happened but I hear the backlash loud and clear. I think it would be very difficult for him to return.

“But nothing’s impossible in football.”

Hoos added: “Being free and available is not necessarily the hallmark of what we’re going for.

“It’s got to be the right person – the right man for the right job at the right time.”

Until then, Pashley is set to oversee first team matters, including training, with assistance from goalkeeping coach Billy Mercer. Both have previous experience of the caretaker role.

Pashley teamed up with Martin Dobson after Coyle’s exit, while Mercer has twice taken temporary charge of Sheffield Wednesday.

Academy manager Jason Blake may also have a first-team role.