Burnley FC: You may be very surprised where these 3 ex-Clarets stars are playing now | OneFootball

We took a look at some of the obscure locations that ex-Burnley players are currently plying their trade

Burnley have seen plenty of players come and go at Turf Moor in recent seasons, with some having far more success than others.

It's been a strange couple of seasons for the Clarets, and after being a stable Premier League side between 2016 and 2022, they've become a yo-yo club in recent years, strolling to the Championship title in 2023 before being relegated from the Premier League the following campaign.

Scott Parker's side have made a decent start to the new Championship campaign and will be looking to make an immediate return to the top-flight, but there's a long way to go yet, and the division certainly seems more competitive than it was two years ago when they won the league at a canter.

After three seasons of promotions and relegations, it's fair to say that the Clarets squad has been through some upheaval and a number of players have cut ties with the club to move elsewhere.

With that in mind, we thought we'd take a look at some of the obscure locations that ex-Burnley players are currently playing in.

Matt Lowton - Precision FC

Right-back Matt Lowton joined the Clarets in 2015 and would make 203 appearances for the club over the course of the next eight years, leaving Turf Moor in the summer of 2023 following their promotion to the Premier League.

He made the surprise decision to sign for Northern Premier League side Witton Albion in November 2023, but his next move was an even stranger one.

Last month, the 35-year-old moved to the UAE Second Division when he joined Precision FC, an ambitious club based in Dubai looking to make a name for themselves in the Middle East.

The club was only formed in 2023 and, after winning promotion to the Second Division, they recruited a number of ex-EFL players in a bid to become a household name and eventually compete in the Asian Champions League, as per The Daily Mirror.

Lowton is joined by the likes of Joel Lynch, Harry Arter, Ben Pringle and Ravel Morrison at Precision FC, a pretty bizarre situation with players of that quality plying their trade in the UAE Second Division.

Charlie Austin - AFC Totton

Striker Charlie Austin had an illustrious career at both Championship and Premier League level, but now, at the age of 35, he's plying his trade for seventh-tier side AFC Totton in the Southern League Premier Division South.

He was still playing at League Two level for Swindon Town last season, where he scored 14 goals, so it was an excellent coup for a side in the seventh-tier of football to sign him in the summer.

Burnley is arguably where Austin had his big breakthrough and made a name for himself, and he spent two years at Turf Moor between 2011 and 2013, making 90 appearances and scoring 44 goals, a very impressive return.

Moves to the likes of QPR, Southampton and West Brom followed, and Austin became a regular scorer at Premier League level, earning a call-up to the England squad but never winning a cap.

However, the glamour of the Premier League seems a long way from the seventh tier, and not many people would have envisaged Austin playing for AFC Totton prior to his signing in the summer.

Kyle Lafferty - Johnstone Burgh FC

Northern Irish international Kyle Lafferty began his career at the Clarets, and it's fair to say he's had a long career spanning plenty of different clubs.

The big striker made 88 appearances for Burnley between 2005 and 2008, scoring ten goals before earning a move to Scottish giants Rangers, and his career is still going strong at the age of 37.

In 2023, the 85-cap Northern Irishman joined Johnstone Burgh in the West of Scotland Football League First Division, helping them win promotion to the West of Scotland Football League Premier Division.

It's a long way from the Scottish Premiership, where Lafferty played for the likes of Rangers, Hearts and Kilmarnock, and despite winning promotion last season, his side are still two promotions away from the Scottish Football League, showing just how far down the pyramid they are.

Lafferty revealed he had turned down EFL offers to sign for Johnstone Burgh last season, citing wanting to be close to his family as a reason for joining the club.

After playing in the Premier League, Scottish Premiership, Champions League and Europa League, the lower leagues of Scottish football are a far cry from those days, and after starting his career at Burnley, he looks set to finish it at Johnstone Burgh.