Quinn hopes Kilrea can push on booking quarter-final spot

By Michael McMullan

KILREA midfielder Kevin Quinn hopes their recent victory over Steelstown will give them a chance to push on as a club.

A fine team performance saw the Pearses book a quarter-final spot against Glen this weekend.

It has been a significant turnaround for Kilrea. After a decent Ulster league showing early on, they were pipped by Glen in the opening Derry League game despite playing well.

They went on to have a chastening Division One campaign. It took wins over Bellaghy and Steelstown to ensure they avoided any relegation conversations.

“We had a few injuries and I was out myself for a while,” Quinn said. “It doesn’t take long to change things.

“The way the league is, everyone’s very competitive. If you miss three or four games and you’re missing a few men, then all of a sudden, you’re down at the end of the table.”

Things changed after a meeting in mid-season that helped refocus the mind for the remainder of the year.

“We just knew there was more in us,” Quinn pointed out. “We started getting boys back and we wanted to lift everything.

“Thanks to the management as well, they were there and were putting things in place.

“We knew we had a panel there to kick on so we just had a look in the mirror and kicked on and raised our standards.”

Kilrea have never won the Derry title. The closest they came was in the 2011 final when Ballinderry bounced back to claim the first of three successive titles.

In recent years, Kilrea have struggled to make any headway in a championship that has been dominated by Glen, Sleacht Néill, Newbridge and Magherafelt.

That’s why victory over Steelstown has added value to what Kilrea have been cooking this season.

“This has been a long time coming here and hopefully it may continue,” Quinn added, talking before the quarter-final draw had been made.

Minutes after victory over Steelstown, he is still disgusting their step into the last eight.

“It’s absolutely massive,” Quinn said of the impact on the club a whole.

“I was in the gym last night and was just chatting to the chairman (Martin McWilliams) and how much it meant to the club; how much it boosts the young ones.

“I remember watching Kilrea in the county final a while ago (2011), now unfortunately, it doesn’t happen too often.”