THE man who helped shape the career of new Clarets striker Steve Jones reckons the Northern Ireland international can shoot Burnley into the play-offs next season.

Dalton Steele, who brought Jones back from Ireland to play for him at Chorley in the late 90s, says Jones has all the attributes to become a Clarets star.

Steele knows Jones well, from as far back as his Bury days under Stan Ternent and has followed his career closely and is no doubt that manager Steve Cotterill has unearthed another gem.

He said: "Burnley have got a player who is hungry, has an eye for goal and possesses tremendous pace and I see no reason why they can't be up there next year.

"He's also got great movement so he also creates a lot of goals.

"He was 24 when he went to Crewe, which is quite late for a footballer, and Dario Gradi has really improved his all-round game.

"But now he's 29 I think Burnley will see the best of him as he reaches is peak.

"A lot of clubs have been monitoring his situation over the last 18 months but he thinks that Steve Cotterill is a good coach and somebody who will further improve his game so it's a real win/win situation."

And the Altrincham assistant boss thinks a Jones/Andy Gray partnership could be Burnley's ticket to the Premiership.

He added: "When Steve played at Crewe, he played for a while up alongside Dean Ashton and they both scored a lot of goals because they could play off each other.

"Andy Gray is a similar type of player and I really think they can strike up a good understanding.

"Steve will score a lot of goals and he will also create a lot with his pace and I think it's a fantastic signing for Burnley."s

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