Kilmarnock hero Chris Burke has returned to the club – but not as a player.
The veteran has bagged a job as the new reserves boss, with Under-18s and Intermediates football also falling into his remit.
Burke had considered moving on to another team to continue playing, but he admits the lure of a return to Killie was too appealing.
He said: “I did a lot of thinking and reflecting after coming to a crossroads in my life on what path to take next. I now have clarity in how I feel.
“I know I said I was going to continue playing but I must say that I had to come back to the club.
“In the back of my mind, I felt that my sense of fulfilment in life and the place to start my new journey was here.
“I have to thank the manager especially because he maintained good communication with me to see how I was. He’s not just a great coach and manager but a great leader so he was another big factor in coming back here.”
Burke has worked with the Under-17s at Rugby Park during his initial spells as a player, so his knowledge of the academy is already there.
He added: “It is the best education that I’ll get in starting my new journey, which I hope will be a long and successful one.
“Working with the manager, Tony Docherty, Paul Sheerin along with Paul Di Giacomo and Craig Clark – there’s no better start for me than that.
“What I can do for these kids is bring part of my story to them. Putting formations and tactics to the side for one minute, it’s all about the core values.
“Good behaviours, a good attitude, togetherness and helping them deal with the small failures and setbacks – I can help them with those things.
“I want to add to the good work that the Academy have already been doing. I’ve worked in the Academy for a few years now and I have a great relationship with Paul [Di Giacomo] and Craig [Clark].
“I don’t just want to make our kids into better players but I want to make those players better human beings.”
Club boss Derek McInnes is delighted to keep the star at Rugby Park knowing how huge an asset he is.
He said: “I’m absolutely delighted by Chris’ desire to come back and be part of what we’re doing here.
“This is such an important role in the club, helping to develop our Academy players alongside the other Academy coaches and producing players for Kilmarnock’s first team.
“It is a multi-faceted role. His main role will be in the Academy with Craig Clark and he’ll help Paul Sheerin with the Reserve team and he will have a role to play within the first team structure.
“Chris is a brilliant role model for our youngsters to learn from and ensuring we maintained his association with the club was everything we wanted.”
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