TONY Parks is rejoining the staff at Turf Moor - just four months after being given a free transfer by the Clarets!

Parks is returning in a part-time capacity as goalkeeping coach to Stan Ternent's squad.

And his appointment will come as a welcome birthday bonus for the former Spurs man - 36 tomorrow - whose playing future has been thrown into doubt at cash-strapped Barrow.

"He is a very good coach and he's trying to step up that side of the business," confirmed Ternent.

"He's a good sort of lad and the lads here like him. Goalkeepers need a coach these days and he will do a couple of days here and no doubt go on somewhere else as well."

Clarets' number one Paul Crichton has enjoyed working with Parks and is looking forward to the partnership continuing.

And Parks, who was restricted to two Worthington Cup ties for Burnley at the start of the season after being overtaken in the pecking order by Crichton and Gavin Ward, will also be looking to further the development of Crichton's understudies Frank Kval and Craig Mawson.

Parks, who played for 10 clubs during his Football League career, ended a 14-month stay at Burnley when he joined Nationwide Conference club Barrow on a two-year deal in September.

His form has been a major factor behind the Bluebirds' climb out of the relegatioin zone but the club was the subject of a winding up order on Monday and placed in the hands of the liquidators. Wages were previously unpaid and six players have left the club in the past week.

But Parks trained at Holker Street on Tuesday night and a consortium of local businessman have guaranteed to meet expenses and while that situation continues, the club will carry on playing.

Ternent will be hoping to have a near fully fit squad to select from for Saturday's game at Lincoln City when the Clarets will be bidding to complete a hat-trick of away wins.

The Burnley boss was expecting Steve Morgan (calf) and Ally Pickering, who missed last Saturday's win at Millwall with an ankle knock, to have recovered in time to make the trip.

And Graham Branch hopes to have shaken off the chest infection which has dogged him in recent games to be part of Ternent's plans on his first visit to Sincil Bank.

"I hope to be able to play some sort of part," the winger confirmed. "I am looking forward to it and if we win it hopefully it will move us towards the top half of the table." Looking further ahead, Ternent expects to open contract talks with a number of players "in the not distant future" as he continues his rebuilding plans at Turf Moor.

Inevitably there will be departures too as the Burnley boss shapes his squad for the future.

Meanwhile, Burnley's Second Division rivals Colchester United have named Mick Wadsworth as their new manager after he resigned as Scarborough boss.

Wadsworth said: "It was a tough decision but it is the opportunity to go to a stable club.

"I am leaving a lot of good young players behind which is very hard. But the situation off the field at Scarborough is well documented."

Scarborough are second bottom of the Third Division just months after reaching the play-offs while Colchester, who won promotion last season, have been looking for a manager since Steve Wignall's shock decision to quit last week.

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