Kearns moves with the times

Daniel Kearns says he’s looking forward to making his mark at Cliftonville following a “strange” last week-and-a-half.

The 29-year-old moved to Solitude from Linfield last Saturday, just four days after being an unused substitute in the Blues’ 4-3 defeat to the Reds at the same venue, and made his debut in Tuesday’s battling draw with Coleraine.

Ahead of tomorrow’s Danske Bank Premiership encounter with Glentoran at The Oval, Kearns admits it has been a whirlwind time for him but that he’s already focused on making a big contribution for Paddy McLaughlin’s side.

“Things moved very quickly and I was happy to get it sorted,” says the former Dundalk ace, who played an hour of the midweek stalemate at The Showgrounds.

“I came in just before the game against Glenavon last week, got everything signed and I’m delighted to be here. For it to have happened a few days after I was on the bench for Linfield at Solitude was a bit strange but that’s football for you, it doesn’t stop and things move around quickly – especially in January when you get close to the end of the window.

“I wanted to get some game time because that’s important to any player and, once I heard Cliftonville were interested and Paddy was interested, I was keen to get the deal done.

“I can play in a couple of positions and Paddy knows that, so I want to bring plenty to the side going forward.”