IRISH LEAGUE: 21 UNDER 21: Cliftonville sensation hungry for more silverware success after 'best day of my life' Irish Cup glory
Heading into last season, Shea Kearney didn’t know if an opportunity to impress in Cliftonville’s senior ranks would come along or not, but one thing was for sure – he was going to be ready to seize it if it did.
Fast forward 12 months and Kearney is likely amongst the first names on Jim Magilton’s team sheet after emerging as one of the Irish League’s brightest talents and he hasn’t looked back once since breaking into the team during October’s BetMcLean Cup victory over Institute.
A campaign that started with a Steel & Sons Cup trip to Brantwood finished by playing a key role as the Reds ended their 45-year wait for Irish Cup glory and showcasing the famous trophy in his hometown of Lurgan to those that had helped along the way.
"I just put my head down, worked hard and hoped that an opportunity would come along,” reflected Kearney. “I never expected to get one, but always knew if I got an opportunity that I had to take my chance.”
The arrival of Magilton as Cliftonville manager was another key factor in Kearney’s rise – the ex-Ipswich Town boss long had a track record of placing his faith in youth having worked with Northern Ireland’s U21s and created the Irish Football Association’s Club NI programme, now known as the JD Academy, which laid the platform for a plethora of youngsters to make moves across the water.
"When I saw Shea in pre-season I really liked him,” Magilton told the News Letter in March. “I knew he had all the ingredients to play in the first team there and then, but he waited, was patient for his opportunity and he has taken it. He's developing at such a rate of knots and he's another that clubs will be looking at."
Just like experienced stars Rory Hale and Joe Gormley have been role models for Kearney, the 20-year-old is now a shining example to Cliftonville’s academy youngsters, such as Ryan Corrigan and Keevan Hawthorne, that they too could become established players at Solitude.
"If you're good enough you'll play, which is great,” he added. “There are a load of young players coming through and I'm saying to them 'I gained my place last season and there's no reason why you can't do it this year'.”
The experience of playing – and ultimately winning – in front of 15,000 spectators at May’s Irish Cup showpiece decider against Linfield, which Kearney describes as “the best day of my life”, and now making a European debut in Cliftonville’s recent UEFA Conference League clash with FK Auda will surely only help bring his game to another level.
Kearney dealt with the pressure of the cup final cauldron spectacularly that afternoon and he’s hungry for more silverware success after getting a first taste.
"What I want to do in my career is play in these games,” he said. “Once you get over the line once you know you can do it, so there's nothing stopping us this year.
"We had a tough draw in the Irish Cup and had to beat Larne and Linfield, so we didn't have it easy. There's no reason why we can't beat all the teams again."