CHARLIE Austin believes he can find the net regularly in the Championship this season after scoring his first goal for Burnley on his comeback from a long-term shoulder injury last night.

Austin needed only seven minutes to hit the target in the Clarets’ comfortable 3-0 friendly win at Bury as he made his first appearance following shoulder surgery in early March.

The 22-year-old has endured a frustrating opening six months to his time at Burnley, after a £1.2m move from Swindon in January, but last night insisted that his Turf Moor career starts now.

“It’s been a long five months so it was nice to get out there again,” said Austin, who failed to score in four appearances for Burnley last season in a tentative start to life in the second tier.

“My main aim was to get back on the pitch and get 45 minutes for fitness, but the goal was a great bonus and good for confidence.

“It’s a fresh start now, that’s how it seems for me, if I could forget about those last five months, they’ve gone.

“It was frustrating for me, I came here with expectation, I wanted to impress and obviously I got my injury and it did kill me, and I was hurt.

“But you just try to look on the good side of things and for me I look back on what I did at Swindon, my goalscoring.

“I just thought, ‘That was what I did six months ago and that was what I was doing a year ago’.

“I’m just looking forward now and a year on hopefully I can do exactly the same.

“Everyone has heard what I have done in League One but now I just want to do it in the Championship, and I don’t see why not with the great help of the team and the management.

“People say if you’re a goalscorer, you’re a goalscorer, and you’ve just got to get in those positions.

“I like to think I am and hopefully I can score goals in the Championship.

“It would be nice to get the first goal in the Championship and then look on.

“My shoulder’s strong now so now I’m just looking forward to getting a good pre-season under my belt and kicking on into the season.”

Austin’s goal was pleasing for Clarets boss Eddie Howe, who had held the striker back from Saturday’s opening pre-season game at Altrincham as a precaustion.

“I’m delighted to see him back and scoring goals,” said Howe.

“He is a talented young player and a fantastic finisher, and hopefully he will have a good season.”