Back-to-back cruciate injuries left him pondering retirement from Gaelic football, but Chris Kerr says he is relishing his latest chapter with Ballymacnab.
The Antrim goalkeeper kept a clean sheet as he made his debut in the Armagh Senior Football Championship as Ballymacnab defeated Cullyhana 1-14 to 0-13 in the Athletic Grounds on Saturday night.
Gavin McParland scored the game’s only goal with Rory and Jack Grugan also on top form for Barry Dillon’s side, who now face 2020 champions Maghery in the quarter-finals.
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Towards the end of his second rehab stint, Kerr took up a coaching role with the Grange last season before switching club allegiances from St Gall’s to Ballymacnab ahead of the 2022 campaign.
He was also recalled to the Antrim panel ahead of their Ulster SFC meeting with Cavan and the Belfast native say he is delighted to be back playing Championship football.
“Probably around mid-January I had my mind made up that I wasn’t going to play at all this season,” stated Kerr.
“I had a winter training with Helen McElroy and Collie McRory - they’ve kept me in good shape. Barry Dillon (Ballymacnab manager) has been brilliant too. I’m buzzing to be back.
“I’m now 36, so hopefully I’ve another year or two left in me.
“It is new to me - it makes a change from playing the likes of Cargin and Lámh Dhearg.
“There are plenty of big teams left in the Armagh Championship. We’re delighted to be in the next round and we’re looking forward to the next challenge and trying to progress.”
Kerr couldn’t have wished for a better induction to the Armagh Championship as the ’Nab overcame a tricky first round tie against Cullyhana.
McParland found the net after five minutes with Jack and Rory Grugan firing over some exceptional points from play.
At the other end, St Patrick would ultimately rue a number of missed chances after posting eight wides in the first half alone. County stars Jason Duffy and Aidan Nugent were also kept scoreless from open play, although Nugent did hit 0-4 from placed efforts.
Kerr hailed the collective effort of the Ballymacnab team as they sealed their place in the last eight of the Championship.
“We won and that’s all that matters. Performance wise, it probably wasn’t our best, but it is just about getting over the line in the Championship,” said Kerr.
“We managed to do enough to get the win, thank God. I definitely enjoyed it!
“They (Cullyhana) let us off the hook a bit - they had a lot of chances in the first half. Thankfully, we’ve the likes of Jack and Rory (Grugan) and Gavin (McParland) who can take chances and punish teams.
“They are quality footballers and they’ve been about Armagh panels for a reason. We’re lucky to have guys like that in the team - they are top players.
“When Cullyhana went the direct route, they moved a few big men in there. I thought the likes of Dominic McParland and Ryan Kennedy were excellent under the high ball.
“Ciaran Connolly and Niall Cosgrove were also brilliant, so I thought we dealt with that threat really well. Overall, it was good to keep a clean sheet and that’s down to the hard work of our defenders.”
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