He had a trial at Rochdale, who offered YTS terms, and then Crewe where he suffered a knee ligament injury after just 20 minutes of an A team game and that was the end of that.

Burke took a job in banking and played Oldham Sunday League soccer with Freehold before joining Oldham Town in 1989. His semi-pro career started at Mossley (99 games, 32 goals) before transferring to Witton Albion in 1992. 38 goals in 109 appearances at Wincham Park prompted trails at Port Vale, Burnley, Preston and Bury. Kenny Dalglish, then manager of Blackburn Rovers was even rumoured to be watching the striker?s progress.

In December 1994, Stalybridge paid a then record ?12,000 for his services. He became a firm favourite with the Bower Fold fans during the next four and a half years, emerging as one of the best semi-professional players around.

He left Celtic in the summer of 1999 on a Bosman style transfer to Altrincham. Injury prevented the Moss Lane fans seeing the Brendan Burke that they had seen star against them in the past.

In June 2000, at the age of 29, the Middleton-based player reluctantly called it a day after taking a second opinion on a serious problem in his lower spine which could have affected his future well-being if he had carried on playing.

Burke had problems with bones between his vertebrae which were rubbing together, with the canals at the bottom of the spine which guide nerves into his legs and he also had three prolapsed discs.

The former Celtic skipper, who now works in the mortgage department of a major Manchester city centre bank, will be long remembered as one of the best semi-pro players of the last decade.