If you’re picking out a breakthrough star from the Sports Direct Premiership this season, the meteoric rise of Cliftonville’s Shea Kearney can hardly be overlooked.
The Lurgan lad has been in spectacular form for the Reds – and it was music to the ears of the supporters when news of his two-year contract extension at Solitude was broken this month.
Determined not to rest on his laurels, the 19-year-old delivered a solo goal for the ages in the weekend 3-2 win at Loughgall – a third in the game that ultimately proved difference-making and, although their title hopes still appear unlikely, keeps them in with a shout going into home stretch territory.
A blip of two straight losses to Linfield and Dungannon Swifts wasn’t corrected in the most convincing of fashions – manager Jim Magilton admitted that he felt his side were fragile in defence at times, and they worryingly have shipped eight goals in their three most recent outings – but Cliftonville have a dearth of scoring power that is the envy of teams in this league and it hauled them over the line at Lakeview Park.
Naturally, the likes of midfield powerhouse Rory Hale, his sharp-shooting sibling Ronan and league joint top scorer Ben Wilson have claimed many of the plaudits throughout this term.
Deservedly so, and the rising assist count for Ronan Doherty from the middle of the park as well as Joe Gormley’s evergreen goal-getting exploits have also played an undeniable part in upholding the north Belfast outfit’s charge even accounting for the winter exits of box-to-box midfielder Chris Gallagher (Larne) and centre-back Luke Turner (St Patrick’s Athletic).
But Ireland’s oldest football club are in tune with the new wave, too, and the highly versatile Kearney – deployed most often at right wing-back in 2023/24 – showcases a bright future.
We saw it with fleet-footed forward Sean Moore, the local hero who, at 18, radiated potential and warranted a richly earned six-figure move to West Ham last summer.
And we’re seeing it with Odhran Casey who, whether deployed in midfield or defence, has come leaps and bounds under Magilton’s watchful eye.
Kearney, who celebrates his 20th birthday at the end of March, is from the same lineage.
Cliftonville are in an age of transition and they have unveiled their plans to adopt a full-time structure using a hybrid model, and having Academy stars rise into the first-team set-up will be a fundamental part of how they stay successful.
2004-born wonderkid Kearney has taken it in about as seamless a stride as you could expect. His effortless gliding by multiple Loughgall bodies before poking beyond onrushing shot-stopper Berraat Turker was a show of class for his third senior goal in the famous red shirt, adding to a wonderstrike against Glentoran in December and the second goal in a 4-1 home win over Coleraine in February.
With four assists on top of that, Kearney has taken his role by the scruff of the neck and it’ll take quite some going to relinquish that starting spot from him given the form and potential he’s showed.
He’s locked down until 2027 now – just nine months after inking his first professional deal and 18 since his senior debut – and that should quell any transfer interest for this summer at least.
Just as well. Any Reds fan would tell you he’s got plenty of unfinished business still to do – and doesn’t he look the business, too.
Featured image from Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press.
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