Irish Premiership: Kearney senses ‘big opportunity’ at Ballymena United

Kearney balances being a football manager with his job as a PE teacher at Cross and Passion College in Ballycastle.

“It’s busy but since I was 21 or so I’ve known nothing else but school and football.

“Definitely now that I’m back and going again it’s right back into peak flow, get on the horse again and away we go.

“It’s probably the first break I’ve had from football for decades and, probably without knowing, I needed that bit of refreshment.

“I know from being out of it for six months or more and and even with the sporting director role I had at Coleraine you weren’t taking the team or managing the team, I’ve missed the pitch stuff, I’ve missed the training ground and I’ve missed the three o’clock on a matchday, so I’m really looking forward to all of that.”

With the festive season just around the corner, the traditional Boxing Day derby between Ballymena and Coleraine looms large on the horizon.

Kearney says he is proud of his achievements with the Ballycastle Road outfit but is philosophical about facing his former club as he prepares to take his place in the dugout with the Braidmen, for whom he made 121 appearances and scored 34 goals between 2002 and 2005.

“I’ve played many games for Ballymena and derbies against Coleraine and I’ve managed umpteen games for Coleraine against Ballymena, but that’s the nature of football,” he said.