From the moment Jim Magilton first watched Shea Kearney, the Cliftonville boss knew it was only going to be a matter of time before he earned himself a move across the water – and he predicts there’s “more to come” from the Northern Ireland youth international.

It was Magilton that handed Kearney his senior Reds debut in September 2023 and he never looked back, quickly becoming an established part of a Cliftonville squad that went on to seal historic Irish Cup glory by beating Linfield at Windsor Park.

The 21-year-old scored a memorable equaliser in Cliftonville’s second consecutive Irish Cup final appearance last season and having amassed 61 Premiership outings, Kearney made a summer move to Scottish Championship side Dunfermline Athletic.

He will now continue his development under fellow Lurgan native Neil Lennon and Magilton admits he’s proud of the journey Kearney went on at Solitude.

placeholder image — Shea Kearney scored in last season's Irish Cup final before making a move to Dunfermline Athletic. (Photo by Desmond Loughery/Pacemaker Press)

"Shea is an outstanding young player,” said Magilton. “When we saw him initially we felt we had to get him into the team and once we got him into the team it was going to be very difficult for him to come out.

"When you think of the players who could play that position, the likes of Kris Lowe, who is an outstanding player, Conor Pepper played there for a bit, but we managed to get Shea in.

"For me, it was only a matter of time before Shea attracted that attention...we’re very proud of his achievements with Cliftonville.

"We’re very proud that he has managed to kick on. He’s with Neil, who is a Lurgan boy, and he will certainly continue his development and there’s more to come from Shea.”

It has been a busy summer for Cliftonville’s academy products with highly-rated Coran Madden joining Premier League side Brentford while Emmett Morrison made a move to Sheffield United.

Striker Shay Reid is also on the cusp of finalising a switch to Preston North End following his goalscoring exploits last season, netting 51 times across all competitions.

The Reds’ academy is amongst the best in Northern Ireland and continues to churn out talented players capable of both stepping into Magilton’s senior squad or earning dream moves across the water.

A number of youngsters have featured throughout pre-season as Cliftonville prepare for another Premiership campaign kicking off on Sunday against Bangor and Magilton has praised their ability.

"Coran Madden went, Emmett Morrison has gone, and that’s important,” he added. “It’s an important aspect of any football club, it’s the lifeblood of the club.

"We’ve had five or six lads who have trained with us all through pre-season. They’ve outstanding ability and need to grow and mature physically to be ready for the first team, but given the opportunity we’ve no doubt they’ll flourish with that experience.

"The senior players at our club have been tremendous. They are an important part of the club and they’ve brought these lads on because it’s all well and good us giving them a platform, but it’s the habits that they form and every training session they’ve applied themselves brilliantly.”