THE conditions of his departure from Rangers last year mean that nobody at Ibrox, not the directors, not the manager, not the coaching staff and not the players, is permitted to give their thoughts on Joey Barton.

But you do get the distinct impression that precious few of them were overly distraught to see the back of an individual who failed to shine on the park and proved to be a divisive figure off it during his brief spell in Glasgow.

The opposite, however, was true at Burnley, who he helped to lift the Sky Bet Championship and win promotion to the Barclays Premier League last season, during the summer. His decision to turn down the offer of a contract extension was greeted with dismay both in the stands and in the dressing room at Turf Moor.

His return there just eight months on has been met with widespread rejoicing. The midfielder was hailed as a hero by adoring Clarets supporters on his homecoming on Saturday long before he produced the moment of magic which clinched yet another home victory for them.

When he stepped up and stroked a free-kick through the defensive wall, beyond Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster and into the bottom right corner of goal just six minutes after coming on as a substitute, the outpouring of adulation was immense.

Barton was only on the park for the last 20 minutes of the match at the weekend. But during that time he still contrived to produce the sort of commanding display in the middle of the pitch which eluded him in his eight outings in this country.

While his match-winning cameo may have been galling for anybody of a Rangers persuasion to witness it came as little surprise to anyone in Burnley.

George Boyd, the former Scotland internationalist who won the late free-kick which Barton netted the winner from, confirmed they are delighted to have their prodigal son back.

“Joey’s been great since he came in and it was set up for him to score the winning goal on his first home game back,” he said. “He is a good fit with this club. He was brilliant for us last season and he has come back in seamlessly.

“He’s come on, given everyone a lift at the right time and pushed us on to get the win. The longer the game went on, the more we were all over them. I said to Joey it was made for him to score that free-kick. He’s a lucky boy isn’t he? It was a great way to end it.”

Barton made his return for Burnley when he started in the Emirates FA Cup match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light nine days ago – a game which he helped his side draw 0-0.

However, Sean Dyche left the 34-year-old out of his side at the weekend. The cup tie had been his first outing in four months, since he had featured in the 5-1 defeat to Celtic at Parkhead back in September in fact, and his manager clearly felt that playing from kick-off was asking too much of him.

But Boyd, whose tireless work on the right flank helped to wear down opponents who had, with Virgil van Dijk once again impressive, defended robustly throughout, predicted that his match sharpness and influence will grow in the coming weeks.

“He’s had a long break and obviously hasn’t played for a while,” he said. “But his fitness levels last week at Sunderland, where he lasted 90 minutes, were brilliant. He came on and looked strong on Saturday.

“So the more games he gets, and the more rhythm he gets back in his game, the better. You are only going to see a better Joey Barton.”

The highly-public suspension for a breach of discipline in September and subsequent termination of his contract in November must have been difficult for Barton, despite the various bust-ups and brushes with authority that he has been involved in throughout his career, to deal with.

But asked if he thought that Barton was a more subdued character as a result of his experiences, Boyd replied. “No. This is Joey we’re talking about! He’s one of the most confident people I know. He’s got that belief in himself and he’s fitted straight back in so nicely. He’s exactly the same as he was last time.”

Barton, who was banned by the SFA for one game for breaking their rules on gambling last year, is facing a suspension by the FA over identical charges. The former Manchester City, Newcastle United and Queens Park Rangers player stands accused of placing 1,260 bets over a 10 year period.

Boyd is hopeful the matter is dealt with because he feels his team mate will be crucial to Burnley achieving their goals in the Premier League in the coming months.

“We’ve not really spoken about it (the FA charge),” he said. “He’s got until the end of the month to give his answers so it’s something the club will look at. But he’s just got to keep playing his game until he knows otherwise. It’s something the club needs to sort out. As long as he keeps playing well for us, we’re fine.”

Burnley jumped above Southampton and moved into 10th place in the top flight table as a result of their weekend win and Boyd, buoyed by the addition of Barton to their squad, believes that securing their place in the richest league in the world is within their grasp.

“It’s incredible really when you look at it,” he said. “We’ve just got to keep on going. There is a 10 point gap (over third bottom Hull City) now which is great for us. A few more wins and hopefully that will be enough.

“We look up now. You look how well West Brom have done this season and we are only a couple of points away from them. Top half is amazing for this football club. We’ve just got to keep on progressing forward, not look down and keep looking up.”

Things would certainly seem to be looking up for Joey Barton at Burnley after his chastening experience at Rangers.