Ivan Hurley previews Kerry FC’s last away game of the season as a trip to the south-east beckons…

And then there were two. A long and winding season has the finish line now firmly in sight and just 180 minutes of football remain in 2024 for Kerry FC.

The final away trip of the season has the Kingdom in the not so sunny south east to take on an in-form Wexford FC side who will be looking to book their place in the Play Off places with a game to spare.

It’s back to back away games for Kerry in the closing stages of the campaign. Last time out, the side went down by 2 goals to 1 in St Colman’s Park in horrendous conditions last Friday night.

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Cian Brosnan will carry some confidence following a well taken goal to draw the sides level midway through the first half. But a late winner for Cobh Ramblers means Kerry went back over the county bounds empty handed.

Wexford on the other hand have had a memorable few weeks. They fought to the very end against Premier Division side Drogheda United in the semi-final of the Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup, coming up just short in a 3-2 defeat away from home.

Eight wins from their last 10 SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division games has our hosts 5 points clear in 5th with 3 games to play. With Finn Harps behind them with also 3 games to go, a point tomorrow night will be enough to see Wexford secure in the play off places.

Kerry will be somewhat buoyed by the last meeting of the sides. Ryan Kelliher scored a 92nd minute equaliser for 10 man Kerry in Mounthawk Park in what was a dramatic night in Tralee.

So it’s a final away trip for the Kerry FC players, staff and supporters and one to be enjoyed before the off season kicks in!

This will be the first year in the club’s history that our penultimate game of the season is an away trip. Last season, the Kingdom faced Waterford FC in Mounthawk Park before travelling away to Cobh Ramblers for the final game of the campaign. Kerry will host Athlone next week to close out the 2024 season.

Speaking to the media earlier this week, First Team Head Coach Conor McCarthy issued a few injury concerns ahead of the game. Daniel Okwute is out for the weekend with an ankle injury and hasn’t trained this week.

Ryan Kelliher also remains absent. Kennedy Amechi who has been struggling with injury is a potential absentee for this one as well. Ronan Teahan will return to the squad following suspension.

Conor McCarthy said; “We always try to put our best foot forward in every game. Wexford will be no different on Friday. We know it’s an important game so we will go there and be positive and try our best to get a result. The same story goes for the following week. It’s important to end the season with good, positive results in both games.”

David Moriarty reports on Kerry FC’s away game against Cobh Ramblers last night…

COBH RAMBLERS 2-1 KERRY FC

Kerry FC travelled for their penultimate away game of the season as they travelled to St. Colman’s Park on Friday evening to take on Cobh Ramblers.

Kerry FC were looking to improve on the point they took away from Finn Harps last week and Cobh were looking for their second win on the bounce as they beat Athlone Town last Friday night.

With just a couple of games left in the season, both sides wanted to finish the season on a high which started with a wet night in Cobh.

Cobh took the lead early on through a penalty from Jason Abbott. Matthew McKevitt was played through on goal and tried to go around Antonio Tuta.

McKevitt won the duel with Tuta as the Croatian took him down with referee David Dunne having no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Abbott stepped up and placed the ball into the top right corner to give the hosts the lead.

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Kerry had their first real chance on goal in the nineteenth minute when Nathan Gleeson had possession of the ball just outside the eighteen yard box.

A flick up had Kerry FC looking for a penalty which was waved away, Nathan continued with the ball and got his shot off but it did not trouble Darragh Burke in the Ramblers goal who claimed the ball with ease.

The first sight on goal was a sign of more to come for Kerry FC as shortly after Cian Brosnan got the equaliser. A great ball through the channel into Brosnan was timed perfectly and Cian had no trouble in finishing the opportunity into the bottom left corner.

McGrath and Brosnan linked up once again seven minutes before halftime as a low cross into the area by Sean McGrath was met by Cian Brosnan at the near post but he could not get enough on the effort to divert it towards goal as Kerry FC finished the first half in a strong position.

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Kerry FC had a decent amount of possession at the beginning of the second half and Oran Crowe got the first real chance of the second forty-five.

A long shot from Crowe outside the area nestled off the side netting and from some angles it looked like it may have gone in but it was not to be for Kerry FC’s number four.

On the hour mark a nice bit of play from Nathan Gleeson led to an over the top pass to Sean McGrath. Just before Sean was able to pull the trigger the ball was cleared away by Cobh in a good piece of defensive play from the home team.

Although Kerry FC had the better chances and the most possession of the second half it would be Cobh who would regain their lead.

Dale Holland took a shot from just inside the box and was saved well by Antonio Tuta who put the ball out for a corner. The resulting corner was swung in and Jason Abbott rose highest and got his second goal of the night from a lovely header.

The game was then controlled by Cobh from there on out and they went away in the end with all three points. A special mention must come the way of Rob Vasiu who came on as a second half substitute to make his first appearance of the season after injury.

Now for Kerry FC they still sit ninth with Longford Town to still play at the weekend and Kerry look ahead to next week’s final away game of the season as they travel to Ferrycarrig Park to take on Wexford FC.

COBH RAMBLERS TEAM: 1. DARRAGH BURKE, 2. MICHAEL MCCARTHY, 5. BRENDAN FRAHILL, 10. JACK LARKIN, 16. DAVID BOSNJAK, 20. CHARLIE O’BRIEN, 27. DAVID EGUAIBOR, 28. DALE HOLLAND, 33. REGIX MADIKA, 38. LUKA LE BERVET, 39. JASON ABBOTT (C) (GOAL ‘ 7 PEN, ‘71).

SUBS: CATHAL O’HANLON, L. CURTIN, JUSTIN EGUAIBOR, DEAN LARKIN, PIERCE PHILLIPS, JAMES O’LEARY, NOLAN EVERS.

KERRY FC TEAM: 1. ANTONIO TUTA, 23. FINN BARRETT, 6. ETHAN KOS, 5. ANDY SPAIN (C), 3. SEAN O’CONNELL, 8. RONAN TEAHAN, 24. CIAN BARRETT, 7. SEAN MCGRATH, 13. NATHAN GLEESON, 10. VALERII DOLIA, 17. CIAN BROSNAN (GOAL ‘22).

SUBS: DAIRE FOLEY, VICTOR UDEZE, ROB VASIU, TOM HEALY, ANDREW KERINS, KENNEDY AMECHI, BOBBY AMADASUN

By Ivan Hurley

With just three games remaining in the 2024 SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division season, the Kingdom go to Cobh for the club’s penultimate away match of the season.

A comeback draw against Finn Harps in Mounthawk Park last Friday night has moved the Kingdom off bottom spot and into 9th place on the table, level on points with Longford Town in the race to avoid the wooden spoon.

But trips to Cobh and Wexford followed by a home tie on the final day against Athlone Town, McCarthy’s men will need to pick up another couple of points to ensure the Kingdom’s fate stay’s in our own hands.

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After a tough couple of weeks results wise, the draw against Play-Off chasing Finn Harps was well welcomed by the Mounthawk faithful who have something to be cheerful about ahead of the trip to St. Colman’s Park.

A win at the famous aul ground back in July in the Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup are grounds for optimism ahead of Friday night’s clash.

A string of 5 straight defeats for Ramblers was stopped with a fantastic away win against Athlone Town last Friday night away from home. They will be looking to put a recent run of poor home results behind them tomorrow night against a Kerry team in much need of an away win.

It’s a game that has yet to produce no goals so buckle up for an end of season classic!

Kerry are aiming for back to back away wins in St Colman’s Park for the very first time. The Kingdom won here last time out in the Sport’s Direct Men’s FAI Cup but have yet to secure all 3 points on the road this season.

Speaking to the media ahead of the game, First Team Head Coach Conor McCarthy gave a number of injury concerns ahead of the game. Ryan Kelliher will be absent for the remainder of the 2024 campaign due to injury. Meanwhile, Cian Barrett and Samuel Aladesanusi are being monitored this week with niggling injuries and will battle through late fitness tests for this one.

Conor McCarthy said; “Cobh’s results of late may not appear the best but that doesn’t paint the full picture. They are a very good side, they’ve been to Athlone recently and got a great result. We know they are a very good side, well organised and great talent so it’s a tough task. We will need to be disciplined like we were against Finn Harps last week to get any sort of a result up there. We are looking forward to the trip but will have to be at our very best to come out of Cobh with a positive result.”

David Moriarty reports on Kerry’s game against Finn Harps last night in Tralee…

KERRY FC 1-1 FINN HARPS

Kerry FC returned to Mounthawk Park in League of Ireland action for the first time since a tough 4-1 loss to Cork City two weeks ago. Kerry FC have faced a tough few weeks in the League of Ireland with just five points in their last eleven league games.

Harps on the other hand are giving themselves a great chance at finishing in the promotion places with ten points out of a possible twelve, most recently drawing 2-2 away to Cork City last week in Turners Cross.

A win in Tralee would put themselves in the conversation for a promotion place with just three games remaining.

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First Team Head Coach Conor McCarthy would be without Ryan Kelliher for the game on Friday as he picked up a slight injury in the game away to Bray Wanderers last Friday

Although the results on the pitch haven’t been the best, there was great news for the club on Wednesday as Kerry FC received funding of €387,983 from the community sport fund. This will further escalate Mounthawk Park for supporters and players in the coming future.

The first half was a very cagey affair with neither side really getting many opportunities to get themselves ahead. Kerry FC had an attempt early on with a ball being whipped into the area by Kennedy Amechi towards Cian Brosnan but seventeen year old goalkeeper Oisin Cooney was well out to claim it.

Success Edugon had the first chance on goal for Finn Harps by getting past Sean O’Connell on the right wing and getting his shot off with his left foot. It was looking like it was on target but rose in the end and went over the crossbar clear of any danger for the Kerry FC defence.

Kennedy Amechi was in the action once again and had possibly Kerry FC’s best chance of the first half when he got into the area and had a shot with his right foot low and hard into the side netting. It was much better from Kerry FC compared to previous games in an attacking sense.

Kerry FC were fantastic in nullifying any Finn Harps attacking attempt with the midfield working tirelessly in getting the ball back. Kerry turned over the ball numerous times from Finn Harps attacks and the work off the ball was exceptional throughout. Half an hour in, Ethan Kos headed over the crossbar from a corner and the home side were getting closer and closer to taking the lead.

Cian Brosnan got a shot away in space just inside the box nine minutes before the final whistle of the first forty five minutes but with little power Cooney gathered it easily. Kerry FC put in a great first half performance and all they were lacking was a goal. It was important that Kerry FC started the second half the same way they finished the first because a drop in performance would be easily punished by Finn Harps target man Success Edugon and the pace he possesses.

Kennedy Amechi came close again eleven minutes into the second half. He put a great ball into the six yard box but unfortunately there was nobody there to get on the end of it.

Oran Crowe leaped high to get on the end of a Cian Brosnan cross and it was cleared off the line by the Harps defence and nearly put into their own net. It eventually came to nothing. As the game wore on it felt like it would be another night for Kerry FC in front of goal as they could not get one over the line, figuratively and literally.

Nine minutes after that golden opportunity for Crowe, completely against the run of play, Finn Harps would take the lead. Good work between Success Edugon and Sean Patton opened up a pass for Patrick Ferry who took the shot on first time on the edge of the box and he slotted it into the bottom left corner past Antonio Tuta. A golden goal in the stage of the game by Harps who were far from their best on the evening.

Eleven minutes later Kerry FC would equalise through Sean McGrath who bagged his tenth goal in a Kerry FC jersey. Brilliant work once again from Nathan Gleeson on that left wing opened an opportunity for himself who toe-poked a shot at goal. Cooney did very well to get down to it but McGrath was there to tap in the rebound and get the home side level.

In the first minute of additional time Oran Crowe had an unbelievable opportunity to win it but his shot was equalled by Cooney who prevented his side from falling to a double blow in the late stages. It ended in a draw and Kerry FC showed positive signs as they head into the final three games of the season. They travel to Cobh Ramblers next Friday in their penultimate away game of the league season and look to improve even further on their performance from Friday night. The draw brings Kerry FC back to ninth on the table, ahead of Longford on goal difference

KERRY FC TEAM: 1. ANTONIO TUTA, 23. FINN BARRETT, 6. ETHAN KOS, 5. ANDY SPAIN (C), 3. SEAN O’CONNELL, 8. RONAN TEAHAN, 4. ORAN CROWE, 7. SEAN MCGRATH (GOAL ‘81), 13. NATHAN GLEESON, 11. DANIEL OKWUTE, 17. CIAN BROSNAN

SUBS: DARRAGH FOLEY, VICTOR UDEZE, ROB VASIU, TOM HEALY, ANDREW KERINS, KENNEDY AMECHI, BOBBY AMADASUN, VALERII DOLIA

FINN HARPS TEAM: 25. OISIN COONEY, 2. JAMIE WASTON, 3. KEVIN JORDAN, 5. MATTHEW MAKINSON, 6. NOE BABA, 7. PATRICK FERRY (GOAL ‘70), 8. MAX HUTCHINSON, 9. SUCCESS EDUGON, 10. SEAN PATTON, 22. DAVID CAWLEY, 26. TONY MCNAMEE.

SUBS: COREY SHERIDAN, LUKE O’BRIEN, MAX JOHNSTON, GAVIN GILMORE, BRUCE STRACHAN, AARON MCLAUGHLIN, GAVIN MCATEER. LUKE O’BRIEN

David Moriarty reports on Kerry’s loss against Bray Wanderers last night….

BRAY WANDERERS 2-0 KERRY FC

Kerry FC were back on the road on Friday as they faced Bray Wanderers for the fourth and final time of the season at the Carlisle Grounds in Wicklow. Kerry had a tough fixture last week as newly crowned First Division champions Cork City handed the Kingdom a 4-1 defeat in Mounthawk Park.

This was Bray’s second game in just four days with them earning an away point against Wexford FC in Ferrycarrig Park last Tuesday. Bray sit fourth in the playoff places and a win against Kerry would only strengthen their chances of finishing in a playoff spot come the eighteenth of October.

Kerry FC were nine games without a win coming into the game on Friday and a win would do a lot for the players and staff involved with the first team as they look to finish the season strongly. With five games to go in the 2024 calendar,

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Kerry FC sat in ninth place just two points ahead of Longford Town in tenth ahead of Friday’s game.

A win in Wicklow would give Kerry FC an extra boost of confidence if they were to finish their second season in the League of Ireland in a higher position than their first.

Bray nearly got off to a flying start when a short back pass from Cian Barrett had the home side through on goal but a strong hand from Antonio Tuta pushed away the ball and the danger but only momentarily as Bray would take the lead shortly after.

Harry Groome put the home side ahead in the eighth minute. A few intricate passes just outside the area between Groome and Shane Griffen set Groome up for a shot on goal which he took with great precision.

Just five minutes later Groome had another chance on the half-volley but was collected easily by Antonio Tuta.

It was all one-way traffic by Bray as Cole Omorehiomwan was the next to have an effort at the Kerry goal but his header on the end of a corner was caught by Tuta.

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In the thirty-seventh minute, Antonio Tuta was called into action again as he made a brilliant save from a free kick by Shane Griffin.

Tuta rose well to divert the ball out for a corner which came to nothing in the end. In the last six minutes of the half, Kerry FC had a few half chances to set themselves in the right direction at the end of the first forty-five.

A header from Sean McGrath, a long effort from Ronan Teahan and a close shot from Ryan Kelliher which forced a good save from James Corcoran were all close chances of Kerry equalising before half time but unfortunately, none came off in Kerry’s favour.

Bray Wanderers doubled their lead when a twenty-five-yard effort from Guillermo Almirall caught out Antonio Tuta at his near post who was slightly blind-sighted.

Bray had total control of the game from there on in and the second goal gave them the comfort to control the game at their own pace throughout proceedings.

A couple of minutes after the second, Sean McGrath had a chance outside the area go over the crossbar and was one of Kerry’s only half-decent chances of the entire second.

Cristian Magerusan missed a great chance from close range to put the hosts three ahead but scuffed his shot and it dragged wide and away from Kerry FC danger.

With nine minutes remaining in the second half Shane Griffin had a header saved from Antonio Tuta and denied Kerry of extra damage.

Bray in the end held out and went on to see out the game with a score line of 2-0.

A very tough game for Kerry FC who return to Mounthawk Park next Friday in the league as they take on another promotion contender in Finn Harps of Donegal.

BRAY WANDERERS TEAM: 1. JAMES CORCORAN, 2. MAX MURPHY, 4. KILLIAN CANTWELL (C), 5. COLE OMORHIOMWAN, 6. GUILLERMO ALMIRALL (GOAL ‘54), 8. HARRY GROOME (GOAL ‘54), 9. CRISTIAN MAGERUSAN, 15. ZACH NOLAN, 23. SHANE GRIFFIN, 31. KIERAN CRUISE, 32. JOHN O’SULLIVAN.

SUBS: STEPHEN MCGUINNESS, DARREN CRAVEN, BEN FEENEY, CALLUM THOMPSON, JAMIE DUGGAN, ZAYD ABADA, CONOR KNIGHT, JOSH MCGLONE, BILLY O’NEILL.

KERRY FC TEAM: 1. ANTONIO TUTA, 23. FINN BARRETT, 6. ETHAN KOS, 5. ANDY SPAIN (C), 3. SEAN O’CONNELL, 24. CIAN BARRETT, 8. RONAN TEAHAN, 4. ORAN CROWE, 7. SEAN MCGRATH, 9. RYAN KELLIHER, 10. VALERII DOLIA.

SUBS: DAIRE FOLEY, SAMUEL ALADESANUSI, VICTOR UDEZE, CIAN BROSNAN, ROB VASIU, TOM HEALY, ANDREW KERINS, KENNEDY AMECHI, NATHAN GLEESON

Ivan Hurley previews Kerry FC’s away game against Bray Wanderers this Friday night…

With only 5 games remaining in the 2024 campaign, the Kingdom make the trip to the Carlisle Grounds tomorrow night to face Bray Wanderers under the seaside lights (kick-off 7.45pm).

Kerry are coming into the game off the back of the sides largest defeat of the season last time out, going down to Champions Cork City by 4 goals to 1.

It’s the first time this year Kerry have conceded 4 goals and the only time this season where conceding more than 3 has ended up in defeat.

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So Kerry will be going to Bray in search of a result tomorrow night. With just 2 home games remaining and difficult trips to Wexford and Cobh Ramblers on the horizon, the Kingdom will be in search of some vital points away from home to make sure the season ends on a positive note.

Bray were in action on Tuesday last, with the game against Wexford finishing in a stalemate 0-0 draw in Ferrycarrig Park. The Seagulls currently sit in 4th place but will need some more points on the board to secure a play-off spot.

They are level on points with Athlone Town in 5th and just two clear of Finn Harps as the race for the coveted play-off berth gathers pace.

But this is a game not to be missed. The sides have produced mouthwatering ties throughout 2024, with 13 goals scored in 270 minutes of action between the Kingdom and Bray to date in 2024.

Kerry will take some confidence from the last meeting in Mounthawk Park. Although it finished 3-3, Kerry twice took the lead in the game and will be looking for a similar style of performance tomorrow night.

The two sides have probably shared one of the greatest spectacles of the season back on the 2nd matchday of the season, the game was delayed due to a severe storm in Mounthawk Park.

A heavy snow shower followed by thunder and lightning saw the game delayed by some 30 minutes as the ground staff worked hard to get the pitch cleared. Bray went on to win a tremendous on-field battle by 3 goals to 2.

Speaking to kerryfc.com earlier this week, First Team Head Coach Conor McCarthy confirmed the Kingdom have a full bill of health ahead of the game in the Carlisle Grounds tomorrow night. All those with long term injuries have made a full recovery and all have multiple minutes back in the legs

Goalkeeping Coach Del O’Shea was on media duty this week, here’s what he had to say: “Look, these last 5 games now are huge for us. The boys have set their own targets, which is great to see and we go out to win every game. But look, going to Bray is always a tough task.

“They are a very good side, a draw and two defeats against them this season probably shows that, although we were 2-0 up at home against them earlier this year, we probably weren’t clinical in that one. We’ve 7 draws on the road this year so we really need to start turning a couple of them into wins to get ourselves up the table.”

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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Ivan Hurley previews Friday night’s game at Mounthawk between champions Cork City and Kerry FC…

With the destination of the title decided, it’s easy to know the countdown to the end of the season is fast approaching.

Cork City, who were crowned SSE Airtricity First Division Champions last Friday night are the visitors to Mounthawk Park on Friday night on Matchday 31 (kick-off 7.45pm).

Cork City, who were well deserving of the league title, will pose a difficult opponent to Kerry FC on Friday night.

With just one loss on their way to victory, it has been a dominant display by the Leesider’s in the division and have earned themselves a direct call up back to Premier Division football at the first time of asking.

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Kerry will be looking to add further points to the table in the club’s just second ever campaign in the League of Ireland. A disappointing defeat to UCD the last time out in Tralee was backed up by last gasp draw away to Treaty United last Friday night.

Fans and players alike will know a Kerry FC victory was deserved in that game. Kerry dominated possession for 100 minutes but a last-gasp goal earned the Limerick outfit a share of the spoils.

But Kerry FC can bring some confidence into this game in Mounthawk Park tomorrow night. The last time Cork came to town an early penalty was all that separated the two sides in Tralee.

Kerry had a number of chances throughout the game and on another occasion could have earned at least a point against the would be champions.

So the scene is set for the visit of Cork City to Mounthawk Park tomorrow evening. With a good weather forecast and strong ticket sales, this is sure to be a game not to be missed.

Kerry’s sole signing of the summer transfer window has come from our Cork neighbours. Oran Crowe signed for the Kingdom from Cork City just a couple of weeks ago and has made two appearances in the Kerry green to date.

Speaking to the media earlier this week, First Team Head Coach Conor McCarthy issued no fresh injury concerns ahead of the game against Cork City.

Oran Crowe did require stitches after getting an elbow to the face against Treaty United last time out but he should be fit and ready by kick off.

Recent absentee’s Antonio Tuta, Andy Spain and Valerii Dolia have all minutes back under their belts and remain available.

“We are looking forward to it. It’s an exciting game for us to play,” said Conor. “They’ve signed some very good players during the window so it’s a brilliant test and challenge for us to play against a team like that. So like that myself, the players, the club as a whole are looking forward to it 100%”.

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David Moriarty reports on Kerry FC’s game away to Treaty United on Friday evening…

TREATY UNITED 1-1 KERRY FC

Kerry FC made their second and last trip to Limerick for the 2024 season as they took on Treaty United in the Markets Field on Friday evening.

Both sides came into the game with defeats as Kerry FC lost 1-0 to UCD AFC last Friday in Tralee, whereas Treaty United lost away to Bray Wanderers in the Carlisle Grounds in what was nothing short of a 5-0 thumping.

Treaty United sit ten points clear of Kerry FC in eighth and have not won a game in the league since the tenth of August away to Longford Town.

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Kerry FC have not been on the winning side in the league since beating Longford Town on the 13th of June making Kerry the more eager of the two to pick up three points in Limerick.

Kerry met a couple of familiar faces in the Markets Field when former players Steven Healy and Trpimir Vrljicak were both in the starting eleven to face the Kingdom. A few friendly words were exchanged beforehand between the players but things remained very professional throughout the evening’s proceedings.

Kerry started on the front foot with Valerii Dolia having a shot on goal inside the opening two minutes.

He took the ball at his feet by some distance and let fly just outside the area. The effort was on target, but Corey Chambers saved it well.\

Treaty replied five minutes later with a chance of their own when a floated free kick was put into the danger area and got as far as Ben O’Riordan who could not get enough on it and it was eventually brought in comfortably by Antonio Tuta.

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Kerry FC dominated the possession from there on in for the remainder of the first half. Valerii Dolia was amongst the action again winning a free kick outside the area.

He decided to take on the responsibility himself and although he struck the ball with great power, it went straight into the arms of Chambers.

Three minutes later Sean McGrath had the ball in the back of the net but was rightfully ruled out for offside.

Ronan Teahan was the next Kerry FC man to have a shot on goal as he made a great run down the left wing beating two before shooting on goal but once again Chambers was there to keep away any danger.

Lee Devitt had Treaty United’s first real effort on goal since the opening chance in the seventh minute but it went high and wide over Antonio Tuta’s crossbar.

Trpimir Vrljicak had a great effort in the last minute of the half go slightly over the crossbar and let the Kerry FC boys breathe a huge sigh of relief that their former teammate didn’t put Treaty United ahead on the stroke of half time.

Four minutes after the restart it was Daniel Okwute this time trying his luck at getting past Corey Chambers. He was at a tight angle on the right-hand side and took the shot on with great precision and drove along the ground but Chambers got down well again to pull off another great save.

In the fifty-eighth minute, Kerry FC finally got what their performance deserved and that was the opening goal of the game through Sean McGrath. Sean took the ball from the halfway line and drove with it down the left-hand side.

He beat one, then two before sticking the ball into the roof of the net giving the away side the lead with just over half an hour left on the clock.

Just three minutes after taking the lead, Kerry FC nearly doubled their advantage when Valerii Dolia struck the crossbar from eight yards out at a tough angle. Kerry FC started playing with great confidence once going a goal up and it was just what they needed to get going.

Between the seventy-eighth and eighty-first minute, Antonio Tuta made two great saves to deny Sean Costelloe on both occasions from distance and close range and the Croatian keeper was doing his best to keep Kerry FC in the lead in the late stages of the game.

Five minutes were added on but even more was played when there was an unfortunate head collision between two Treaty players in the box.

Treaty had a free kick in the one-hundredth minute of the game and unfortunately for Kerry FC, they equalised through Evan O’Connor.

A scrappy goal which saw the ball just creep over the line in a heartbreaking way for the Kingdom.

The game ended a matter of seconds later with both teams sharing the points. Kerry FC now have to pick themselves up again as they host newly crowned champions Cork City in Mounthawk Park next Friday.

KERRY FC TEAM: 1. ANTONIO TUTA, 24. CIAN BARRETT, 6. ETHAN KOS, 5. ANDY SPAIN (C), 3. SEAN O’CONNELL, 8. RONAN TEAHAN, 7. SEAN MCGRATH (GOAL ‘58), 4. ORAN CROWE, 11. DANIEL OKWUTE, 9. RYAN KELLIHER, 10. VALERII DOLIA.

SUBS: DAIRE FOLEY, SAMUEL ALADESANUSI, VICTOR UDEZE, NATHAN GLEESON, CIAN BROSNAN, KENNEDY AMECHI, FINN BARRETT, TOM HEALY, ROB VASIU

TREATY UNITED TEAM: 1. COREY CHAMBERS, 2. BEN O’RIORDAN, 5. LEE DEVITT, 11. STEPHEN CRISTOPHER, 14. ALEC BYRNE, 23. FIONN DOHERTY, 19. ENDA CURRAN, 25. MARK WALSH (C), 33. TRPIMIR VRLJICAK, 34. STEVEN HEALY, 36. CHRISTOPHER HORGAN.

SUBS: MICHAEL DIKE, OISIN O’REILLY, THOMAS CONSIDINE, ADAM O’HALLORAN, DAVID TARMEY, EVAN O’CONNOR (GOAL ‘90), RICHKOV BOEVI, ROBBIE LYNCH, SEAN COSTELLOE

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Ivan Hurley previews the match between Kerry FC and Treaty United in Limerick this Friday night…

With 7 games to go in this year’s edition of the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division, the Kingdom go in search of a first-ever win in the Markets Field as they go toe to toe with Munster rivals Treaty United in Limerick on Friday night (kick-off 7.45pm).

Off the back of a narrow 0-1 defeat to the students of UCD last Friday night in Tralee, the Kingdom will come into this one looking to add points to the board in the later stages of this campaign.

With one eye at the foot of the table, it is a race for 9thplace that Kerry currently holds a 4-point advantage in.

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With Cork City coming to Tralee next week, McCarthy’s men will have both eyes firmly fixed on the Markets Field and getting 3 points on the road for the first time in 2024.

The last time these sides met was on a sunny June Bank Holiday Monday afternoon where Kerry took all 3 points in a 2-1 win that had everything. 3 goals, a penalty and a half-time substitute in Enda Curran seeing red late on.

Previous to that in the last time out in the Markets Field, we remarkably saw no goal in an entertaining 0-0 draw. With the woodwork hit 4 times in the game, we will hope to see a few goals this time around.

As for our near neighbours, a dream start to the season has come to a shuddering stop. The Treaty men are 8th but 10 points clear of Kerry.

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An 11-point deficit to the playoff places likely looks like this will be a rivalry renewed once again in 2025.

Two defeats back to back for Treaty with the latter being a 5-0 thumping away to Bray Wanderers last week is sure to make them a dangerous animal on Friday night.

Keep an eye out for former Kerry men, three in total on the Treaty side. Trpimir Vrlijack was on the Kerry books back in 2023 when the club was formed and started in Kerry FC’s first-ever game while Jack Kavanagh and Steven Healy made the switch from Kerry to Limerick during the summer transfer window.

First Team Head Coach Conor McCarthy reported no fresh injury concerns following Friday night’s defeat to UCD AFC. Andy Spain sat out the last game as he had a slight hamstring issue after the game in Longford two weeks ago.

But he missed that game as a precaution and the captain is in line to return against his former club. Antonio Tuta made his return after a two-month absence against UCD while Valerii Dolia managed 80 minutes in his first game back in the Starting XI

“Obviously it’s a different approach for every game, be it UCD last week or Treaty this week,” said Conor McCarthy.

“I know Treaty had a tough night of it last week but I had a chance to watch that game back and the scoreline to be fair is a bit flattering. Bray were very clinical and hurt them in the first half.”

“But like that, this is a different game and I can guarantee that there will be a big reaction from Treaty, especially since it’s at home. They will come out firing so we need to be able to match that if not better it and set the standard and tempo there.

“No doubt it will be a tough game but it’s an opportunity for us to go and play. Every game we’ve played against them has been good and competitive. We’ve come out on top in a number of them so I’ve no doubt if we have the energy we can leave with 3 points.”

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