Tom Heaton has bemoaned Joey Barton's 18-month football ban, admitting that the midfielder will be missed in the Burnley dressing room.
Barton was sanctioned by the Football Association after admitting a charge of placing bets on 1,260 matches, which he put down to a gambling addiction.
The severity of the punishment means that he has almost certainly played his last game for the club, with his contract set to expire in the summer, and Heaton said that his absence will be felt at Turf Moor.
"He's been massive on and off the pitch. He was a big part of the dressing room and we're going to miss him," the 31-year-old told the Lancashire Telegraph.
"I spoke to him a couple of days ago. He didn't want any thoughts with him, he wanted everything focused on the game [against Crystal Palace], which is typical of the man really. He wanted us to go out and get three points and we're delighted to do that.
"We were disappointed, he's been a massive asset for us. He's been fantastic in and around the place... in terms of in our dressing room he'll be missed for the time he is out. We were disappointed with it."
Barton won the Burnley supporters' player of the year award in 2015-16 before returning in January from Scottish club Rangers and playing 18 times this season before his ban.
Giuseppe Labellarte
