Rarely-seen Burnley attacker facing key period that could dictate Turf Moor future - View | OneFootball

The striker is looking to resurrect his career with a loan spell at League Two side Accrington Stanley

With competition for places being so great within the Burnley squad as it stands, it is no surprise that the Clarets’ youth products are struggling to earn first-team minutes at Turf Moor.

The Lancashire outfit have had to let a number of players leave this summer due to their severely bloated squad, with Dara Costelloe one of the names who has been farmed out once again to try and get regular game time.

Having joined the club from Galway as a teenager, the wide man has featured regularly for the under-23 side, but has found first-team opportunities much harder to come by, with this season’s spell at Accrington Stanley proving to be his fourth loan spell away from the club.

Now at the age of 21, the forward is coming up to a crucial part of his career, and will be wanting to make the most of his opportunity in League Two to convince his current employers that he has a future at Turf Moor.

Dara Costelloe struggles to earn Burnley starts

Costelloe is a player who has regularly found the net for the Clarets’ youth teams during his time in the north-west, but is yet to be given a regular shot at proving himself while in Lancashire.

With Burnley constantly chasing promotion to the Premier League or avoiding relegation once they achieve their goal, there has been a stockpiling of players which makes any sort of breakthrough seem less and less likely as time goes on.

A smattering of appearances at the start of the 22/23 campaign must have made Costelloe think he had a shot at breaking through at Turf Moor, before not being seen again past November, with Vincent Kompany eventually allowing him to move to League Two Bradford City on loan.

A goalless stint at Valley Parade followed before moving north of the border for the following campaign, with time spent between St Johnstone and Dundee, although once again the goals seemed hard to come by.

With just a single strike for the Saints during the 23/24 campaign, and the Clarets able to bring in the likes of Andreas Hountondji, Jaidon Anthony, Jeremy Sarmiento and Zian Flemming to aid their attacking ranks, Costelloe looks to be seeing his Turf Moor future slipping away.

Accrington Stanley spell could prove to be final chance for Dara Costelloe redemption

Having signed a new deal with the club in 2022 of indeterminate length, Costelloe is likely coming to the end of his time with the recently relegated side, and will be looking to make the most of his most recent move away from the club to set him up for the future.

The switch to Accrington Stanley has seen the frontman feature three times so far for the League Two outfit, with those all-elusive goals still proving hard to come by, even with the drop-down in level.

Stanley boss John Doolan was over the moon to get the deal over the line in the summer, stating: "It's one we have been after for quite a while, it's a bit of a marquee signing or, as I like to call them, game changers.

"Dara can win a game by himself. He is a top footballer, he sees patterns of play, he sees movements, he has a range of passing, and he has got goals in him.

"I am really pleased to have Dara here. Me and Ged (Brannan) have done a lot of work on that, and we have had great help from Burnley. He has had a couple of clubs to choose from, not just in our league, but higher up and in another country as well, and he has chosen us. We are delighted to get it over the line."

Whether the frontman can repay that faith shown in him from his new boss remains to be seen, but with no wins so far, both player and manager will be hoping for an upturn in the weeks to come, and the Irishman could prove key to that success.

But not only is Costelloe’s Turf Moor future in doubt as it stands, his chances of continuing as a Football League player would also seemingly be up in the air, with his goalscoring return in the professional game making for grim viewing.

The next nine months will be pivotal for the next steps in his career, and he will be hoping to get off the mark at the WHAM Stadium as soon as possible to get his confidence soaring in what could prove to be a pivotal season in his career.