Cliftonville boss Jim Magilton praises teenage star after scoring first senior Reds goal in 2-2 draw with Glentoran

The hosts took the lead after only three minutes when Ronan Hale latched onto Ben Wilson’s flicked header before sliding the ball under Aaron McCarey, but Glentoran found an equaliser with virtually the last kick of the half through Daire O’Connor’s deflected effort.

Warren Feeney’s men then went ahead shortly after the break with David Fisher heading home his third goal in four league games following a well-worked free-kick routine between Sean Murray and Shay McCartan.

However, their lead lasted just seven minutes as Kearney, who has broken into the senior side this season under Magilton, weaved his way inside from the wide right before slamming a vicious low shot beyond McCarey’s reach.

He has now started the last 11 matches across competitions and Magilton says it’s nothing less than the young full-back, who moved to Cliftonville from Glentoran in 2021, deserves.

"I’m over the moon that he scored because his performances have warranted a goal,” he said. “I’m delighted for him and with him.

"He’s got lots to improve on, but he’s a fantastic lad who wants to get better and learn. He was up against another really good player today who has emerged this season in Johnny Russell and it was a great tussle.

"I’m really pleased for him and he will get better. He deserves it all and he’s keeping good, experienced players out of the team. It’s a really good lesson because if you come in and do well there’s a real possibility that you will keep playing.”

Cliftonville thought they had won the game late on when Rory Hale prodded home from Odhran Casey’s 94th minute cross, only to see it ruled out for offside.

The result maintains their unbeaten Premiership run, which extends to five, and they trail leaders Linfield, who have one game in hand, by four points after a dramatic 4-3 comeback victory over Dungannon Swifts at Windsor Park.

"They (Glentoran) are a good team and have lots of good players,” added Magilton. “I’m more pleased with our performance levels because we’ve talked from day one about being more concerned about how we play, our body language and how we approach games.

"I can’t fault the players for any of that today and I just thought on another day you win the game. We’re very conscious of who we’re playing against and the quality they have, so we talked about not turning the ball over so much.

"We had moments where we did, little lapses of concentration and we weren’t as clinical as we’ve been, but the good thing is we have things to work on.

"The players showed great bravery and courage because when you’re 2-1 down and chasing a game it can be easy to let go of those beliefs (of playing out from the back), but that has been there since day one and I’m delighted with them.

"I’m disappointed we didn’t get all three points, but we’ll move on.”