BRIAN Easton admitted he couldn’t get to Burnley fast enough once he knew of Owen Coyle’s interest.

The Clarets boss was someone who had made an impression on the young defender long before he left St Johnstone to take the Turf Moor reins in November 2007.

“Owen Coyle was the manager of St Johnstone when I was just starting out at Hamilton. He did a great job there and they were unlucky not to get promotion a couple of times. But the job he’s done down here is outstanding,” said the former Hamilton Academical full back, who signed a three-year deal on Tuesday to become Coyle’s fourth summer signing.

“You always know what you’re getting in his teams – good football and he’s a great motivator because the boys are always up for games.

“Hamilton was a great club to be at, but as soon as I heard Burnley were interested in taking me down here I was raring to go. I wanted to come down and test myself.”

Burnley’s opening fixtures certainly provide a mouthwatering prospect for the 21-year-old who, despite his tender years, has already made more than 100 senior appearances for the Accies since being fast-tracked from the youth team three years ago.

Easton, who cost the Clarets £350,000 plus add-ons, will hope that he does enough in pre-season to earn a starting place as Burnley announce their entry into the Premier League with games against Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea in the opening five games.

Competition is fierce as, out of the five signings so far, four are defenders. But the Glaswegian is relishing the challenge.

“It’s going to be hard because there are a lot of good players here. I’m going to have to work very hard to get my chance in there. But if you do you’ll be given a fair shot; Owen Coyle’s always said that,” Easton explained.

“If you get in the team and play well you’ll keep your place, and that’s what I’ll be looking to do.

“When you see the fixture list and the first six games, there are some very hard games, but at the same time the boys are just excited about them.

“We want to get the season underway so we can go to these places and test ourselves against the very best in the world.”

And he is delighted that Hamilton didn’t stand in the way of his Premier League dream.

“They’ve been fantastic ever since I’ve been there. The chairman, Ronnie MacDonald, and Billy Reid (manager) have been brilliant with me,” added Easton.

“They’ve always said that if a good move came they wouldn’t stand in my way, and you don’t get much better moves than a move to the Premier League, especially a club like Burnley.

“I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done, but I felt it was time for me to move on and hopefully keep developing as a player.”