David Moriarty reports on Kerry FC’s game against Cork City FC last night in Mounthawk Park…
KERRY FC 1-4 CORK CITY
Kerry FC were back in action on Friday evening as they welcomed newly crowned SSE Airtricity First Division Champions Cork City to Mounthawk Park in Tralee.
Cork City regained their spot in the Premier Division last week in the UCD Bowl with a 1-0 win in Dublin.
Malik Dijksteel scored the only goal of the game which was enough for the Rebel Army to put themselves back into Ireland’s elite division.
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For Kerry FC last week, it was another tough result as a one hundredth minute equaliser from Evan O’Connor cancelled out Sean McGraths goal in the fifty eighth minute as the points were shared in Limerick against Treaty United.
Kerry FC played very well over the course of the ninety minutes but as it has been over large parts of the season it just was not meant to be for the Kingdom on the road.
It was Kerry FC’s third last home game of the season and the last Munster Derby in Mounthawk Park for 2024 so the boys would be going out with the intention of giving a good performance for the nearly sold out Mounthawk Park.
Kerry FC started the game the livelier of the two sides and had a couple of decent chances between the seventeenth and eighteenth minute.
Ronan Teahan did very well to get his cross in and it was delivered into Ryan Kelliher but it was well cut out by the Cork City defence.
The second chance was that bit more threatening. It was lovely link up play once again from the Kerry FC attack with Sean McGrath winning a corner.
The delivery was then met by Cian Barrett who headed on to Ryan Kelliher at the back post but it was just behind Kelliher and he nodded it wide.
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Jack Doherty then had a free kick from a decent distance on the right side from about thirty yards out. He tried to catch Antonio Tuta off guard by going for the near post but Tuta got there well to put the ball out for a corner which led to nothing.
The deadlock was broken in the twenty-eighth minute when Barry Coffey put City ahead. A lovely dinked delivery into the area from Doherty caught the Kerry FC defence off guard and Coffey rose highest and his header looped over Tuta and into the bottom left corner.
Six minutes before the end of the half, Ryan Kelliher came very close to getting Kerry back on level terms.
Oran Crowe headed the ball across the goal off the back of a lovely delivery from Ronan Teahan but it was just about a foot too far ahead of Ryan and the ball went wide of the Cork City goal
With a decent spell after going down by the goal Kerry FC were delivered with a dagger to the heart on the brink of halftime when Barry Coffey doubled Cork City’s lead.
A corner taken on the left side from Jack Doherty was perfectly aimed onto the head of Coffey to double his goal tally for the evening.
Kerry FC unfortunately could not take the late first half blow out of their heads for the beginning of the second half as Jack Doherty got his goal after getting two assists for the previous two goals.
It was a beautiful strike from distance that Antonio Tuta could do nothing about. Cork were 3-0 to the good and in cruise control in the opening minutes of the 2nd half.
On the hour mark Kerry FC had huge claims for a handball as Nathan Gleeson’s attempted cross was blocked down by what appeared to be an outstretched arm of the Cork City defender but play was waved on despite the pleas from the Mounthawk faithful.
Just after Kerry FC were denied a penalty Cork City were awarded one of their own when Cian Brosnan made the slightest of contact on his marker.
It seemed very harsh at first glance but the decision stood and Barry Coffey stepped up to secure his hat-trick which he did so by dinking it down the centre of the goal.
With twelve minutes left on the clock Ethan Kos got a consolation goal for Kerry FC as a cross into the area from a free kick was not dealt with and Kos made himself a nuisance inside the six-yard box to finish the opportunity and get Kerry FC a goal back.
Cork City would go out eventual winners claiming all three points and showing everyone in Tralee and Ireland exactly why they are back up to the top tier in Irish football. Kerry FC will now try to regroup as they head up to the Carlisle Grounds next week to take on Bray Wanderers on Friday.
KERRY FC TEAM: 1. ANTONIO TUTA, 24. CIAN BARRETT, 6. ETHAN KOS (GOAL ‘76), 5. ANDY SPAIN (C), 3. SEAN O’CONNELL, 8. RONAN TEAHAN, 7. SEAN MCGRATH, 4. ORAN CROWE, 13. NATHAN GLEESON, 9. RYAN KELLIHER, 10. VALERII DOLIA.
SUBS: DAIRE FOLEY, SAMUEL ALADESANUSI, VICTOR UDEZE, CIAN BROSNAN, FINN BARRETT, ROB VASIU, TOM HEALY, ANDREW KERINS, BOBBY AMADUSON
CORK CITY TEAM: 13. AIDAN DOWLING, 3. JOHN O’DONOVAN, 10. BARRY COFFEY (GOAL ‘26, ‘44, PEN ‘62), 11. CIAN BARGARY (C), 15. CONOR DRINAN, 18. NIALL BROOKWELL, 19. JACK DOHERTY (GOAL ‘46), 20. JOSHUA FITZPATRICK, 24. CIAN MURPHY, 28. ARRAN HEALY, 29. MATTHEW KIERNAN.
SUBS: BRADLEY WADE, CIAN COLEMAN, CHARLIE LYONS, GREG BOLGER, EVAN MCLAUGHLIN, RUAIRI KEATING, SEAN MURRAY, CATHAL O’SULLIVAN, NOAH SOWINSKI.
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