JOEY Barton felt his Premier League winner against Southampton went some way to vindicating the ‘incredible faith’ Sean Dyche had shown in him.

The 34-year-old said he had been humbled by the reception he received when he came off the bench and admitted him and Burnley is a link that ‘just works’.

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Barton struck the winner against the Saints five minutes after coming off the bench for his first appearance at Turf Moor since the Clarets secured promotion against QPR last May.

And he said he felt ‘privileged’ to be back in the squad after leaving in the summer to join Rangers, only for his Ibrox contract to be terminated after eight games.

“The gaffer has shown an incredible amount of faith in me in amongst the circus that kind of goes on in and around me,” said Barton.

“This club has shown commitment to me by bringing me back. I didn’t have a great time up the road and to show that faith in me the minute they knew it wasn’t going to plan and I was going to be out of a club, they were on the phone offering me the chance to train at the club.

“The fans, the reception....people forget I left this club so they would have been within their rights to boo me. That reception makes me incredibly humble and I was just so proud to come on and receive that.

“Sometimes at football clubs, it just fits. From the minute I’ve walked into this football club, it just works. 

“They understand me and I understand them, it just works and that isn’t always the case. 

“I’m intent on giving all I can for this cause and when I score it goes some way to validating the gaffer’s faith in me - and the players because they didn’t have to accept me back the way they have. I feel privileged to hopefully repay that between now and the end of the season.”

Barton accepted a two-year deal with Rangers in the summer as he wanted a new challenge, but his time north of the border turner sour following a training ground bust-up.

Just over six months after thinking he had walked out of Turf Moor for the final time, Barton was back and even he admits he couldn’t have imagined that.

“It hasn’t been an easy couple of months as you can imagine,” he said.

“There are not that many players who take that route map of going to Scotland, it not working out, before you know it, it’s January and you’re back playing in the Premier League and scoring the winner in a Premier League game. Even I didn’t think that was possible.”

Barton, last season’s supporters’ player of the year at Turf Moor, said he had no regrets about the decision he made in the summer.

“I don’t really do regrets. If you go through the rollercoaster of my life, I don’t really focus on the past,” he said.

“It’s probably my greatest strength and my greatest weakness at the same time. If I focussed on the past too much, I wouldn’t do what I’ve done in my career because there’s so much nonsense that goes on around me.

“There’s a conversation for another day about what went on. 

“I just feel incredibly privileged and humble to be given the opportunity to be back playing for this football club. I’m intent on enjoying every minute of it because it could all stop tomorrow. I realise that with that little bit of time out I had.

“I’ve already got a great legacy at this club because I shared a fantastic journey and I’m just intent on adding to that. 

“I feel I’m in a better place physically and mentally. I’m a lot more hungry because people have written me off. I’m a lot more humble because the club didn’t have to show this faith in me.”