Burns thanks the Fleetwood Town fans

Five goals in 14 games while on loan from Bristol City endeared him to the Cod Army as they secured League One status under Steven Pressley two years ago.

A six-figure sum brought him back permanently in January 2017 but life under Uwe Rosler did not work out before John Sheridan’s arrival heralded glimpses of Burns’ previous displays.

When asked if his return had gone as well as he would have hoped Burns’ answer was an emphatic one.

He said: “No, if I am being totally honest.

“At the start I went through a bit of a rough stage on the pitch and stuff, not playing to the potential I know I can play at.”

He has been utlised as a wing-back as well as an out-and-out striker but has found his groove on the right-hand side of a front three in pre-season.

However, Burns admits he is unsure as to why there has been a difference in his form.

He said: “There are loads of different reasons why players do not hit top form.

“It could be styles of play, formations, different tactics the manager wants, I’m not going to pin it down to one thing.

“It could be a factor of many things. I’m glad I’m slowly starting to build my way back to where I was.

“Whenever I speak to the fans or see them they are always dying for me to do great which is obviously a boost to my confidence all the time because fans are saying ‘oh we can’t wait to see you do this or play,’; it is nice for me to hear.”

Pre-season has seen Town win seven from seven and Burns sees no reason for that not to continue against AFC Wimbledon on Saturday.

He said: “We are all buzzing and cannot wait to get going on Saturday.

“I think we are all dying to get going, once the first game is out of the way that is the sort of time you roughly know where you are.”