'THE WASP' has landed at Turf Moor.

And loan signing James O'Connor is being backed to put the buzz back into Burnley's season!

The Dublin-born midfielder, 25, was a smash hit at Stoke City before his career took a wrong turn following an impressive start at West Brom.

It was during those early days at the Hawthorns that his team mates handed him the nickname for the manic way he buzzed around the field.

But Stoke Sentinel reporter Martin Spinks recalls a similar player stamping his mark on the Potters side with some lung-bursting midfield performances at the start of his career.

He said: "I know James was a big favourite of Steve Cotterill's during his brief spell as manager of Stoke City.

"He was probably the first name on Steve's team sheet every week because of his energy levels.

"James can run all day and has incredible stamina, he can tackle for fun and loved to get stuck into the opposition.

"Those attributes will always be welcomed by any manager and I'm sure he will do a terrific job for Burnley.

"Critics will say he is not stylish enough, but you don't play over 200 games for a club unless you have something about you and James is the sort of player who will bust a gut for you."

Such displays would inevitably catch the eye of bigger teams, and West Brom manager Gary Megson, who quit the Hawthorns hot-seat earlier this week, finally persuaded Dublin-born O'Connor his future lay 40 miles down the M6 motorway.

The move was completed in the summer of 2003, with Albion later being ordered to pay just £250,000 following a bitter row over the player's valuation.

"I know it was a big disappointment when West Brom signed him," added Spinks. The tribunal set the fee, but Stoke were aggrieved at that because they feel he was under-valued.

"It's a shame things haven't worked out at West Brom, but Steve will have been keeping a close eye on James' progress, along with Dave Kevan, who was the youth team coach at Stoke and worked with James from the moment he first arrived from Ireland as a 15 or 16 year-old.

"So there will be some familiar faces at Burnley that will help him settle and I'm sure he will be a great attribute to the squad."

Things began to turn sour for O'Connor just six months after joining the Baggies. An ever-present before Christmas, when Albion lost just four league games, O'Connor became the scapegoat following a couple of below-par draws.

Former Preston North End captain Sean Gregan was shunted from central defence into midfield and the Baggies regained their early season form to storm to promotion.

That naturally led to the Premiership riches and Megson's inevitable overhaul of the squad dumped O'Connor further down the pecking order.

He was involved in the club's pre-season tour to Denmark, but when the real action began the former Republic of Ireland U21 ace found himself again watching from the stands.

Indeed, his only meaningful action so far this season came back in September as a substitute in the shock 2-1 Carling Cup defeat to Colchester United.

Now, in the wake of Megson's departure, The Wasp has taken flight to land in Burnley for up to three months.

Ironically, that could see him return to Stoke City along with former Potters boss Cotterill in early January.

And that really could be the sting in the tale!