At 37, going on 38, Chris is still making up for his ‘lost’ years at Rangers
Chris Burke feasted his eyes on the Championship fixture list, and picked out the dates and venues that took his fancy.
Palmerston on the plastic, Gayfield in February, four banana skin bouts against his Kilmarnock side’s bitter rivals, Ayr United.
Not typical red-letter days for a former Scotland international and ex-rangers winger to rub his hands over.
But Burke is about to pour his all into Killie’s promotion challenge, and he knows no other way than full-pelt enthusiasm.
And he can’t wait for Tommy Wright’s revamped squad to get cracking when hosting tomorrow’s Ayrshire derby.
Burke, now 37, said: “I’m really excited. It’s 13 years since I played at Rangers under the demand to win as favourites every week.
“I’m looking forward to experiencing that mental pressure again, and places where I haven’t played before.
“Away to Arbroath – people tell me you’re right on the North Sea. I’ve never played at Palmerston, but I’m told it’s not a great surface.
“I’ve heard Cappielow is tight and difficult, and I’ve not played at Somerset, either.
“I’m looking forward to playing at home, too, because fans are back and people expect us to play good football – and win.”
With offers on the table, Burke could have stayed in the Premiership following Killie’s relegation.
But after parking the raw emotions of dropping out of the top flight, he felt he owed the club the effort to bounce back at the first time of asking.
He’s so intent on influencing a title charge from the heart of the action that he rejected coaching opportunities at Rugby Park that would have dovetailed with playing.
Burke explained: “I’m committed and obsessive in the way I go about things. If I was to coach and play, one would probably take a back seat.
“I didn’t want my football to suffer. There’s plenty time for coaching when I retire.
“I had chances to stay in the Premiership. But I kept coming back to feeling I’d unfinished business here.
“I want to correct a wrong that I was part of. Fortunately, Kilmarnock gave me the option – by still wanting me – of doing that.
“The manager could have had a total clear out. It’s an honour he thought of me, and I hope to repay him.”
Burke will be 38 in December, but feels as good as ever. That’s partly thanks to discovering a standard of professionalism in England that he confesses was lacking at Rangers.
He admitted: “I think I’d have been more of a Rangers regular if I’d made sacrifices. But I wasn’t willing to do that.
“I didn’t prepare for matches – or training – properly, or look after my body with the right food or sleep.
“I was more interested in hanging about with my mates than making sure I performed to my max.
“I was fortunate to get a flat at 18, and live on my own. But I’d play the computer with mates until 1am, and they’d just stay over.
“Before you know it, I’m not asleep until 3am. I’ve got training. It’s a spiral effect.
“The manager thinks I’m tired. I might pick up an injury. Or a player with the same talent – but who’s more professional – performs better.
“Eventually that caught up with me.
“But I’m delighted the way my career worked out. If I hadn’t changed to be more professional at Cardiff City, who knows what would have happened?
“There are fundamentals you have to keep going at.
“Learning that lesson is maybe the reason I’m still playing.”