NFC Kesh’s footballing journey began in August 1975 with a 2–1 victory over Dromore United – a result that set the tone for decades of passion and progress.
Both the A and B teams earned promotion in that debut season, and the club quickly became a cornerstone of village life.
Over the years, Kesh lifted the Fermanagh and Western League Division Two title in 1979, 1983, 1996 and 2014, added the Division Three crown in 2013, and twice finished runners-up in Division One.
But the club’s greatest moment arrived in 2002, when Kesh lifted the Irish Junior Cup at Stangmore Park, Dungannon, defeating Derryhirk United 3–1 in front of hundreds of travelling fans.
Declan McKeever opened the scoring with a long-range free kick that took a deflection on its way in. Nicky Noble added two more before half-time, and despite a late penalty for Derryhirk, Kesh held firm to seal a famous victory.
Looking back, Declan said, “What a day it was. The support from Kesh was unbelievable. I still say that free kick was heading in. Nicky got the second, and Stumpy’s cross scored the third – Nicky still tries to claim it, but I’ve never seen him lift his leg that high in my life!”
Nicky also remembers the triump fondly: “The first came from a flick-on, I just stayed upright and got a touch. The second went in off my knee – pure luck!
“But what a feeling. The sun was shining, the whole village was buzzing. Most of the crowd were from Kesh. The craic was mighty after.”
The celebrations continued as Kesh made their first-ever Mulhern Cup Final appearance just five days later. After a draw and an abandoned replay due to torrential rain, the third game finally produced another Kesh triumph – a 4–1 win over Barrowfield to round off an unforgettable season.
It was a golden year that came agonisingly close to perfection, as they narrowly missed out on the league title that would have completed a dream treble.
Among those who defined the era was Mark Jones, the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, who played from 2002-2022.
“I started when I was 17 and I scored maybe over 500 goals,” Mark said.
“They were great times, and I played alongside some fantastic players. Hopefully, someone will come along and break my record for most goals. I’m not sure if it will happen though!”
Looking to the future, current manager Ryan Campbell believes the current squad has all the ingredients to bring long-desired glory back to Kesh.
“It’s always been my aim to build a squad that can finally win silverware. It’s about getting that monkey off our back… and bringing a trophy home again would be huge.”
