Kevin Burke is a determined, focussed young man. Typical Milltownpass really. By Aidan Canning. Mid-winter. The weather - like everything else is uncertain. Undoing his jacket buttons, Kevin Burke stands like a behemoth in a world overpopulated by 'small' men. He surveys all he sees. Milltownpass can do it next year, he confirms. And we know. They held a meeting at the start of last year too, and restraint wasn't invited. The theme was success, and how to attain it. The backdrop was a bygone season which saw them gobble up another intermediate cup but leave the main course behind. They wanted to put that right this time so frankness was encouraged. The views exchanged were exact and to the point. Milltownpass should be a senior club. The year began well and they recorded a number of victories which helped them reach the last four, where they faced St Malachy's. The sides had met earlier in the campaign with Malachy's emerging victorious on a scoreline of 1-12 to 1-8. The signs were ominous. Four years previously Milltownpass also succumbed to St Malachy's at the quarter-final stage so if anything this gave them the opportunity to put one over their bogey team. Electing to play with the advantage of a stiff breeze in the opening half, St Malachy's started brightly and raced into an early lead. They were three points clear when Ciaran Wright pounced for a goal, restoring parity and giving Milltownpass real hope. At the interval they only trailed by 0-6 to 1-1 with the wind at their back for the remainder of the game. "I thought we had them," Kevin recalls. "The wind was fairly strong and they were after missing a few scores in the first half. I really thought we had them." Burke was involved in his side's first score after the break when his probing centre was flicked to the net by Wright to restore parity for the second time in the game. Minutes later Tommy Kelly gave Milltownpass the advantage and victory looked likely. "If we had weathered the storm for the next few minutes we'd have won," the midfielder assesses. "But they went straight down the pitch and got a goal. That was a killer." Milltownpass did reduce the deficit to a single point with ten minutes remaining but a second St Malachy's goal ended the contest and they bowed out on a scoreline of 2-9 to 2-4. "There's nothing worse than losing a semi-final," Kevin reflects. "We trained really hard last year and to end up with nothing to show for it was fierce disappointing. But we'll be back." Standing six foot tall and weighing in at over 15 stone, few players possess greater strength than Kevin Burke. But he brings more to the team than heft. Blessed with two good feet, his game has always been underpinned by superb vision, and instinct for tracking back, an eye for goal and doing the donkeywork. The sort of toil which supporters rarely notice but managers cherish. He first made his name with the county minors in 1996, lining out at left half back on the team narrowly beaten by eventual All-Ireland champions Laois at Croke Park. He was also underage the following year and captained the side against Longford in the first round. "Don't remind me about that game," he laughs. But I did. A moment of madness led to the youngster receiving his marching orders early in the first half and Billy Flanagan's promising side bowed out of the championship race to a Paul Barden-inspired Longford side. It was all a learning curve for Burke. He accepted what he did was stupid and vowed to make amends if he got the chance again. That chance duly arrived the following season when he was included in Brendan Lowry's new-look senior squad and made his debut against Derry in the opening round of the NFL up in Ballinascreen. "It all happened so fast," he recalls. "I was surprised to even be included in the panel, not to mention be on the team. But it was a great time to make my debut because we drew with them up in Derry." Kevin retained his left half forward slot for the home game against Meath but a late scoring salvo by the Royals left Westmeath empty-handed. His luck was to change however when he picked up an arm injury in a challenge match for the under-21's and missed the majority of the season. "Missing the under-21 championship match against Dublin sticks out the most," he reveals. "Kenny McKinley was also injured and Martin Murtagh was suspended so we were down to the bare bones in defence. We ended up losing the game which was a shame because we really fancied our chances of doing something that year." His disappointment was short-lived as he helped Westmeath to that never-to-be-forgotten All-Ireland title the following year. Kevin's contribution to that success cannot be understated. His glorious long range point at the beginning of the second half helped sway the final in Westmeath's favour but he also chipped in with a crucial goal when the side met Wicklow in the provincial semi-final. However, it was a bone-crunching shoulder on Martin Delaney in the Leinster final replay that still brings a wry smile to Westmeath supporters' faces. "It was a nice one alright," he grins. "I owed him that from the first day. Something like that can help lift a team though. He scored three points against us when we played them the first time so I was just making sure he didn't do it again." In that simplicity lies his popularity. Fearless and utterly driven on the field, modest in victory, gracious in defeat. All the traits which Milltownpass people would like to believe are inherent in their genes. Kevin helped create another piece of history the following spring when he starred on the under-21 team which defeated arch rivals Meath in the Leinster final. But it's the defeat to Limerick in the subsequent All-Ireland semi-final that still rankles. "I hate even thinking about it," he admits. "I won't even look at the video. It was the lowest point of my career. People have said to me that we were too cocky going into the game but I wouldn't agree with that all. We just didn't perform on the day. Only Dessie played well. Losing Willy {Fergal Wilson} through injury was a big loss to us but we should still have been good enough to beat Limerick without him." Despite the mounting acclaim that came with two successful under-21 campaigns, Kevin is still very much the team player he was before any of the fame. It is the identifiable mark of Luke Dempsey's style of management, this cultivation of an honest, self-effacing bunch of players, working selflessly for one another and rejecting ego-led concerns. Which is why he isn't too bothered about how others perceive him, provided the results are being achieved. Has winning an All-Ireland medal changed his life at all? "Before you win one they're a mythical thing. Afterwards you realise that it's just another medal. Doesn't change your life. Life moves on." Life is loping along nicely for Kevin at the moment. And as spring takes over from winter, another challenge beckons. Luke Dempsey has asked the talented 22-year-old to join the senior panel and bolster a squad on the verge of greatness. "It's great to be involved again," he enthuses. "It was tough watching them get so far last year and not being a part of it. It'll be a big challenge to try and make the team but I'll give it my best shot." Six months ago he thought his career had arrived at a cul de sac. Now the road is opening tantalisingly before him. Another dose of the limelight awaits. Tweet

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