On 1 February 2010, Cork joined Premier League club Burnley on loan until the end of the 2009–10 season. He made his first appearance for Burnley in a 3–0 defeat away to Fulham on his Premier League debut. He then played in a 5–2 defeat against Aston Villa on 21 February 2010 and assisted Burnley's second goal. Cork scored his first goal for Burnley on 9 May 2010 in a 4–2 home win over Tottenham Hotspur, with a diving header to score Burnley's second to turn over a two-goal lead. His father revealed the day before in a local newspaper, the "Lancashire Telegraph", that Cork was looking to leave Chelsea in the summer and was willing to drop down into the Championship in order to do so.