GORDON Cowans has left Burnley to return 'home' to Aston Villa.
The Clarets' reserve team coach has been appointed to John Gregory's backroom staff at Villa Park where he started his career as an apprentice in the early 1970s.
Cowans' departure represents the start of a summer re-shuffle at Turf Moor following the appointment of Stan Ternent as manager last week.
For while Ternent was keen to keep Cowans his departure means there is sure to be at least one extra new face on the coaching staff by the time pre-season training starts.
Ternent said: "I wanted him to stay and I told him that but he's in Birmingham and that club has a similar appeal to him as Burnley does to me. I wish him well."
Cowans revealed that he met Gregory on Monday to line up the move which will see him start a fourth spell with the Premiership club. The former England midfielder spent 10 seasons in the first team at Villa up to 1985, helping them win the First Division Championship and the European Cup in 1982 and returned for two further spells either side of stays at Bari and Blackburn Rovers.
His exact role under Gregory is still to be defined but he will be working either with the reserves, youth team or young professionals.
And Cowans confirmed: "It's a great move for me. I am fortunate having had only one year on the coaching side of having the opportunity to go back to the club where I have been most of my career.
"Brian Little went to Stoke and took Tony McAndrew with him which left an opportunity for me. John Gregory said mine was the first name he thought of and I jumped at the chance."
Cowans took his first step on the coaching ladder when appointed by Chris Waddle last summer - in place of Harry Wilson who later joined the Bury coaching staff - and he guided Burnley's reserves to the Pontins League Second Division title last season.
"I enjoyed my time at Burnley apart from the travelling," said Cowans whose Sutton Coldfield home is just seven miles from Villa's training ground. "The lads I worked with their attitude was first-class and I enjoyed it."
Gregory guided Villa into the Uefa Cup after replacing Little in the second half of the season and Cowans' ulitmate aim is to graduate to a position with the first team.
He added: "That's the aim wherever you start out in coaching. It's always the aim to work at that level, unless you are happy working with the kids, and I want to get there eventually.
"But I have got a lot to learn, it's totally different to the playing side. I had a good year at Burnley and things went well. The lads were good to me and it was a good grounding for me. Hopefully I will learn from the coaches at Villa and continue to improve."
Meanwhile, former Burnley boss Waddle says he has no current plans to return to the game in a managerial capacity. After a baptism of fire with Burnley when relegation was avoided on the final day of the season, Waddle hopes to continue solely as a player next term. And he believes he can still operate at Premiership or First Division level.
Burnley are to play at Halifax Town (July 25) and Rochdale (August 1) as part of their pre-season preparations. They will also play non-league sides Dawlish (July 18) and Elmore (July 21) during a stay at Exeter University (July 17-22). Manager Stan Ternent plans to line up a further first-team game on July 28.
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