By Jonathan Brown
Killough co-manager Stephen Holland says he’s “absolutely delighted” to have secured the Newcastle League Premier Division title. A 3-1 win over Downpatrick on Saturday 25 April wrapped up the title with two games to spare, with Killough yet to lose a league game this season.
“We’re absolutely delighted, it’s a good feeling and there were some good celebrations on Saturday night. We said at the start of the season that we have a good enough squad to push for the title and now we’ve finally got it over the line. We knew it was going to be tough, but we’re glad we’ve got it done,” Holland explained.
It’s been an interesting title race in the Premier Division, with Killough battling it out with brother Mark’s Downpatrick team, alongside Ardglass and Strangford. Former Killough player Holland believes back-to-back wins against Strangford at the end of March and the start of April proved to be a pivotal point in the season.
“We’ve had a few tough games – Downpatrick, Ardglass, playing Strangford twice. Beating Strangford in Strangford was the turning point for me. I think it gave us more confidence and a bit of an advantage on them in the home game.”
It’s Killough’s first Premier Division title win since 2023, and Holland believes it’s about time silverware returned to the village. “It means a lot to the club. Not winning trophies at Killough isn’t good; this club should be winning trophies every single year.”
Holland, who is in his first year of managing Killough alongside Sean Burns, Licutz Dinu, and Gerard Kelly, pinpointed the return of Declan Looney and Liam Mitchell to the club as another key point in the season. The duo rejoined in February – Mitchell arriving from Celtic Bhoys and Looney, at the time of writing, going on to score 14 league goals for Killough after returning from Drumaness Mills.
“Bringing those two boys back was massive – it was definitely a good move.”
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