They’ll play any team, any place, anywhere

go professional and play on grass for clubs like Rangers, Cardiff, Birmingham and Nottingham Forest.

“It has not done me any harm has it?” The question is a rhetorical one. Burke has been one of the stars of Killie’s campaign with his stunning goal in the win over Celtic at Rugby Park back in September a season highlight.

“I train here day-in, day-out and have been available for selection 95-99% of the time. Am I just lucky, or is it because I look after myself and just love playing football?” he went on.

“So until someone comes back with facts which establish the percentages of injuries on Astroturf versus grass, you get on with it.

“Even in England, they do the same thing. When I was down south, my boy was training with Derby County and they played on Astroturf. You still get top-quality players there, don’t you?

“We have to strip it back and ask, ‘What are we here for?’. We’re here to play the game, and we just love playing football.

“It doesn’t matter where we’re playing. When I played on red ash, I wasn’t thinking about playing on grass. I was thinking, ‘I’m playing football, this is amazing’.

“I’m the same at 35 years of age as I was at 12. When I step out on that pitch, I think: ‘Excellent, I’m playing a game of football, and that’s what I love doing’. Footage of his exuberant celebration of the score against Celtic last time in the league at Rugby Park underlines his point, with the winger clearly ecstatic.

“It wasn’t a bad strike,” he said with a laugh.

“I could have played it wide, Greg Stewart was out there. But I just thought the shot was on and, fortunately, it was on target.

“It had to be in the corner because Craig Gordon (inset) is a fantastic goalkeeper. “You enjoy things a bit more when you get older and I certainly enjoyed that one. “As fun it was, though, the important thing was the win, which was a fantastic result and one we thoroughly deserved.

“It would be good happen again.

“It will be tough again, though, obviously Celtic are a good side and they will be looking for a reaction over what happened against Valencia. “They will be looking for another three points, as we will – bring it on.”

if

it could