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.

Continued below…

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.

Continued below…

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.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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.

Continued below…

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%”.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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.

Continued below…

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.

Continued below…

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

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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.

Continued below…

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.

Continued below…

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.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

David Moriarty reports on Kerry FC’s defeat against UCD at Mounthawk Park last night…

KERRY FC 0-1 UCD AFC

On Friday evening Kerry FC returned to league action in Mounthawk Park as they took on UCD AFC in Tralee.

The last time the two faced each other was on the seventh of June when a last-minute Eanna Clancy header took all three points for the side from the capital.

Each time the sides have faced off against one another they have been tight affairs and Friday looked no different.

The first time the two faced was on April Fool’s Day when they shared the points as Daniel Okwute got the equaliser and Ryan Kelliher was denied a late winner for offside that was dubiously given on the evening.

Continued below…

It was UCD who took all three points in their first outing in Tralee with two quick-fire goals from Mikey McCullagh cancelling out Sean McGrath’s seventh-minute strike.

Kerry returned to Mounthawk Park for the first time since their heroic efforts in the third round of the Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup against Bohemians where they unfortunately lost on penalties.

Kerry FC have been very impressive at home this season and would like to take a huge performance like that in their stride as they come up to the final few matches of the 2024 season.

The first chance of the game came the way of Nathan Gleeson who started on the right side of the front three for the game. Gleeson received the ball twenty yards out and decided to curl an effort but unfortunately, it went well over the bar and well clear of any danger for Kian Moore.

Continued below…

In the twenty-second minute, UCD got on the stat board with their first shot on target from Jake Doyle.

The cross came into the area with great accuracy and found Doyle brilliantly. Doyle had the aim on his header but not enough power as Antonio Tuta did brilliantly to catch the effort and collect the ball with pure ease.

Ryan Kelliher had a shout for a penalty in the thirty-first minute when he was seemingly dragged down in the box when going for the ball in an attacking position. Play was waved on and Alan Patchell did not hesitate in doing so.

UCD controlled the pace of the game towards the end of the first half. Jake Doyle tried a couple of long-range shots about twenty-five yards from goal.

Although they did not trouble Tuta, he was getting closer and closer with each effort to put his side ahead at the break. A fairly lacklustre half-ended level with very few clear-cut chances for either side.

If it was to get any more exciting and more of an edge-of-the-seat affair both sides would need to take more attacking choices and take a few more chances when it came to the final third.

Kerry FC started well in the second half and Oran Crowe had a chance to put the home side ahead nine minutes into the half.

A free kick far out from Sean O’Connell was delivered deep to the back post onto the head of Ryan Kelliher who headed it back across the box to Crowe. Crowe leaned back slightly which drove his shot over the crossbar but it was a lot more positive from Kerry FC.

Three minutes later, even with Kerry FC’s slight increase in possession, UCD took the lead through Michael Raggett.

A pinball bit of play led to Raggett getting a free shot on goal inside the area. It seemed on the eye to be a fairly easy shot but it took great composure from Raggett to rifle the chance into the bottom right corner.

The game was fairly even to the end but unfortunately, Kerry FC created very few chances and UCD were very professional in their approach to the end of the game and made sure Kerry FC could not come back into it.

UCD eventually ran out 1-0 winners and took six points out of six against Kerry FC in Tralee.

It’s back to the drawing board for Kerry FC who head to Limerick next Friday to take on Treaty United with the third last Munster Derby of the season and the first of back-to-back games against Munster opposition

KERRY FC TEAM: 1. ANTONIO TUTA, 24. CIAN BARRETT, 6. ETHAN KOS, 18. SAMUEL ALADESANUSI, 3. SEAN O’CONNELL, 8. RONAN TEAHAN, 7. SEAN MCGRATH, 4. ORAN CROWE, 13. NATHAN GLEESON, 9. RYAN KELLIHER, 10. VALERII DOLIA.

SUBS: AARON O’SULLIVAN, ANDY SPAIN, TOGOR SILONG, VICTOR UDEZE, BOBBY AMADASUN, DANIEL OKWUTE, CIAN BROSNAN, KENNEDY AMECHI, FINN BARRETT

UCD TEAM: 1. KIAN MOORE, 3. ADAM WELLS, 4. EANNA CLANCY, 6. SEAN BRENNAN, 8. RONAN FINN (C), 9. MICHAEL RAGGETT (GOAL ‘55), 18. NIALL HOLOHAN, 22. SAM NORVAL, 26. LUKE O’REGAN, 24. ADAM VERDON, 29. JAKE DOYLE.

SUBS: FINTAN AGNEW, ALEX DUNNE, MICHAEL MCCULLAGH, DONAL HIGHINS, HARRY CURTIS, COLIN BOLTON, HUGH PARKER, STEPHEN MOHAN, ADAM BRENNAN.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Ivan Hurley previews the SSE Airtricity First Division game at Mounthawk Park this Friday night…

And then there were eight. The finish line for the 2024 SSE Airtricity First Division campaign is now well and truly in sight after a busy summer for the Kingdom.

With the kids back to school and the autumn leaves beginning to land on the artificial surface in Mounthawk, what’s important now is to finish out the season as strongly as possible before the winter break.

The Kingdom, buoyed by bringing Bohemians all the way to penalties in the cup 2 weeks ago secured a point on the road in Bishopsgate last Saturday.

That stopped a rot of 3 straight defeats in Longford for the Kingdom but left the players and management searching for a reason for not leaving with all 3 points.

Continued below…

A nice little 9th vs. 10th place battle is ongoing for the remainder of the season between the two, with the Kingdom keeping the 4-point advantage following the entertaining 2-2 draw.

UCD AFC meanwhile have all but secured a play-off berth for the end of the season. 16 points behind leaders Cork City with 8 games to go would seem to be an unassailable advantage for the Leesiders, while 12 points away from missing out on the playoffs seems as though we will be seeing the students in a push for an immediate return to the top flight.

But seeding will be important for UCD and with a 2nd place finish the most desirable, there is no fear that UCD will bring a second string to Mounthawk Park on Friday.

So a game that matters most to both teams should lead to another epic edition between the sides who have only met each other 3 times previously.

Continued below…

An opening 1-1 draw in Belfield has been backed up by two narrow 2-1 wins for the students over the 3 meetings. There is never anything between the sides and expect Friday night’s clash to be no different.

California native Ethan Kos is the only man to have worn the UCD and Kerry FC jersey. The Kerry defender played his trade with UCD during his studies there last year, but not for their League of Ireland but the side playing in the Leinster Senior League. Kos was snapped up for Kerry in the summer window of 2023 and hasn’t looked back since.

After a gruelling couple of weeks, Kerry FC continue to report a good bill of health ahead of this one. Andy Spain did limp off in last week’s game against Longford Town in Bishopsgate with 10 minutes to go.

Antonio Tuta is almost ready for a return and could make the matchday squad for this one. In positive news, Valerii Dolia made his return from a long-term injury last weekend to the delight of the Kerry faithful

“It’s safe to say they are a very good side, some great players and they are very well set up,” said Conor McCarthy.

“The players they have are of a very high quality but I think in the three times we’ve played them to date we have been very competitive. We probably should have nicked the game earlier in the season, Ryan was dubiously enough in an offside position and we could have had all three points.

“The players can take confidence from the games against them to date and I’m sure they are looking forward to getting back into Mounthawk and giving it a right rattle.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

David Moriarty reports on Kerry FC’s draw away from home last night in Longford…

LONGFORD TOWN 2-2 KERRY FC

Kerry FC returned to League of Ireland action on Saturday evening as they took on Longford Town in Bishopsgate.

The last time the two faced each other in the midlands Longford took the three points on the May Bank Holiday Monday with goals from Francis Campbell, Luke Wade Slater and a fantastic acrobatic consolation goal from Ryan Kelliher.

Kerry FC were in high spirits coming into the game after a dramatic second-round FAI Cup tie last weekend against Bohemians which the Dublin side won on penalties.

Bohemians will play UCD away in the quarter-final, but the country noticed the Kerry FC team’s desire and heart on the day.

Continued below…

Longford Town are struggling in their centenary year in the League of Ireland as they sit bottom four points adrift of the Kingdom in ninth. A win in Bishopsgate would do the home side a world of good as they look to finish the final quarter of the season strongly.

Kerry FC came out of the traps the fastest and it was evident when they took the lead in the eleventh minute thanks to Ethan Kos. A corner was whipped into the area by Cian Brosnan and Kos rose highest to get on the end of the cross to put Kerry FC ahead.

As time went on, Longford grew into the game and had slightly more possession than Kerry but were unable to create much with it.

That was until the twenty-first minute just ten minutes after Kerry took the lead when Longford would equalise through Francis Campbell. It was a goal made by Mohammed Boudiaf who used great trickery to get into the box and get a shot away.

Continued below…

Aaron O’Sullivan did very well to keep the initial shot out but could not keep the follow-up at bay as Campbell tapped home for the equaliser.

As the half went on the game became quite scrappy with both sides giving up possession very easily in threatening attacking areas.

Cian Brosnan had a couple of decent chances before the close of the first forty-five with his first being a powerful shot that went wide of Harry Halwax’s right-hand post.

The second was a snapshot just outside the area that hit the top of the crossbar but unfortunately was not accurate enough to trouble the Longford shot-stopper.

Francis Campbell came closest for Longford as they took the reins of the second half from early on with a couple of half-decent chances.

Campbell had an audacious overhead kick and a header go over the crossbar just six minutes after each other. Kerry were struggling to create much and found it hard to get into the opposition’s box to threaten them.

The longer that Kerry went without chances it would only be a matter of time before Longford would pounce and take the lead.

They did just that in the seventy-second minute through an unbelievable scissors kick from Mohammed Boudiaf.

The ball came into the area and without thinking the Town attacker threw his body behind it and the ball nestled into the back of the net in a truly magnificent fashion.

With Kerry FC doing very little to counter the Longford Town pressing it felt as if it would be another typical night in the office for the Kerry FC men but they stuck at it and got an equaliser through Ryan Kelliher just ten minutes after Longford took the lead.

Brilliant feet and skill from Daniel Okwute on the right wing opened space for himself to put the ball in low across the box for Kelliher who was there as usual to put away the chance at hand.

Both sides pressed to find a winner in what would turn out to be an entertaining final ten or so minutes but the points were shared as it finished in a two-all draw.

Kerry would be happy to come away from Longford with a point for the first time and now look forward to the visit of the UCD students next Friday in Mounthawk Park.

LONGFORD TOWN TEAM: 1. HARRY HALWAX, 2. SHANE ELWORTHY (C), 4. HAMIE EGAN, 6. ROSS FAY, 10. ERIC YORO, 12. DANIEL NORRIS, 15. EMRE TOPCU, 18. KARL CHAMBERS, 19. MOHAMMED BOUDIAF (GOAL ‘72), 22. FRANCIS CAMPBELL (GOAL ‘21), 27. DEAN O’SHEA.

SUBS: JACK MCCARTHY, KYLE O’CONNOR, OISIN HAND, VIKTOR SERDENIUK, JORDAN ADEYEMO, EMMANUEL JAMES, JORDAN TALLON, BASTIEN HERY, RYAN BOYLE.

KERRY FC TEAM: 30. AARON O’SULLIVAN, 23. FINN BARRETT, 6. ETHAN KOS (GOAL ‘11), 5. ANDY SPAIN (C), 3. SEAN O’CONNELL, 24. CIAN BARRETT, 7. SEAN MCGRATH, 4. ORAN CROWE, 13. NATHAN GLEESON, 9. RYAN KELLIHER (GOAL ‘82), 17. CIAN BROSNAN.

SUBS: DARRAGH FOLEY, SAMUEL ALADESANUSI, TOGOR SILONG, VICTOR UDEZE, BOBBY AMADASUN, DANIEL OKWUTE, VALERII DOLIA, KENNEDY AMECHI, RONAN TEAHAN.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Ivan Hurley previews Kerry FC’s clash against Longford Town on Saturday night…

And then there were nine. Yep, you read that right, the league officially ticks past the three-quarter mark tomorrow and we face into the final nine games of the season with the trip to Longford Town (kick-off 7.30pm).

From here on in, these will be the final meetings between the sides, with only four home games remaining for Kerry FC this season.

After an absorbing Cup game against Bohemians last Sunday, attention now turns back to the League for the so-called run-in.

Continued below…

Despite Kerry exiting the cup on penalties, there has been a serious buzz around the club for the week having brought 7-time winners Bohemians all the way to penalties.

But that buzz now needs to be transferred onto the pitch and it starts tomorrow against bottom-placed Longford Town.

One could argue that Kerry could be further up the table at this stage of the competition. With 27 points available in the remaining games, mathematically speaking the Kingdom has an outside chance of reaching the elusive playoff places.

However, a more realistic story is the progress shown by the club in their second year in the competition. A win would take the Mounthawk club seven points clear of the bottom which in itself is a huge achievement for the new boys.

Longford come into the game on a run of 5 straight defeats in the league, most recently losing 1-4 at home to Treaty United.

But Kerry are without an away league win in 2024 and Longford having last weekend off to build up to this one, the home side will see this as a huge opportunity to take all three points and close the gap to 9th by a single point.

Longford Town are the only team Kerry have managed a home double over in the club’s history. A convincing 3-0 win over ‘De Town’ in April was followed up with a 2-1 home win back in June in Mounthawk Park. But Longford took the spoils in Bishopsgate back in June.

Following a thrilling Cup game against Bohemians that lasted 120 minutes last Sunday, Conor McCarthy reported a few soar bodies after the match.

In positive news goalkeeper Antonio Tuta is closer to a return from his ankle injury and could feature in this one. Valerii Dolia returned from injury to make the Matchday squad last weekend, expect the Ukrainian to feature here.

“We’ve plenty of soar bodies this week after the Bohemians game but we gave the players a couple of rest days to get themselves back right,” said Conor McCarthy.

“We’ve seen them in training since coming back and they are as hungry as ever to keep going. We are putting everything into Saturday’s game now, the boys know what we need to do and we have a target set for the last 9 games to finish the season as strong as possible. It’s great to have Valerii back in the group, it’s earlier than we all thought which is great. We need everyone available to us now to close out the season in the best possible way.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ivan Hurley reports on Kerry’s clash with Bohemians in the Sports Direct FAI Cup Third Round on Sunday afternoon in Tralee…

Kerry FC 2-2 Bohemians (Bohemians win 4-2 on penalties)

In an afternoon of what could have been for the underdogs as a plucky Kerry FC side made Premier Division side Bohemians sweat as they progressed past the country’s newest team on penalties after an absorbing 120 minutes in Mounthawk Park on Sunday.

Having convincingly defeated Cobh Ramblers in the second round last month, Kerry were rewarded for their efforts with a dream draw against SSE Airtricity Premier Division side Bohemians.

With the 7-time winners and last year’s finalists coming to Tralee on the festival weekend, tickets were in high demand as the game had the sold-out signs up for several weeks.

Continued below…

But Kerry didn’t show any nerves and were highly competitive in the opening 20 minutes, creating passes and getting into the final third of the pitch.

But despite the Kingdom’s best efforts, it was the visitors who scored the game-opening goal, James Clarke finding the net for the Gypsies who took a somewhat deserved lead. But Kerry fought back well and Ryan Kelliher drew the hosts level in the 43rd minute.

Cian Barrett did really well in the box to turn and find space before letting a cross-goal shot off his right boot. The ball looked to be heading wide but Kerry’s top goal scorer was at the back post to turn the ball home and send Mounthawk Park into ecstasy.

But the visitors were ahead just 90 seconds later as Grieve pounced on a cross with his shoulder to guide the ball past Aaron O’Sullivan in the Kerry goal.

So the Kingdom went in behind at the break having clawed their way back into the game just moments earlier.

Kerry could have found a leveller just moments into the second half, Nathan Gleeson’s shot went just over the crossbar. But Kerry did level the game in the 53rd minute, Ryan Kelliher once again adding himself to the scoresheet.

He chased down the Bohemians goalkeeper who took too much time over a clearance. He dispossessed the keeper and shot home into an empty net and the roof nearly came off Mounthawk Park.

But from there on out, Bohemians squandered numerous chances to put the game well. Kerry’s back 4 stood strong and snuffed out the danger putting bodies on the line but you’d have to wonder how Bohemians missed some of their chances in front of goal.

McDonnell, Smith and Tierney all came within inches of getting Bohs back in front while Rooney shot inches wide in the 95th minute when the game should have been dead and buried.

So Kerry were entering into extra time for the first time in the club’s history and the 30 minutes were played out much the same as the final thirty in ordinary time.

Aaron O’Sullivan pulled off some fantastic saves while Oran Crowe was throwing himself into any sort of challenge to keep the ball out.

Andy Spain, Ethan Kos and Sean O’Connell were all gallant in defence while Finn Barrett made several goal-saving challenges throughout the extra period.

With the sides still at a stalemate, we went to the penalty spot to decide the tie. A perfect 4 penalties for the visitors while Kerry missed 2 along the way meant the Premier Division survived a massive shock to advance to the quarter-final.

Kerry’s attention now returns to the First Division campaign and with the remaining games in single digits and some crucial positions to play for, it will be an important final couple of weeks for Conor McCarthy’s men.

Kerry FC: A O’Sullivan, F Barrett, E Kos, A Spain, S O’Connell, O Crowe, R Teahan, C Barrett, N Gleeson, R Kelliher, S McGrath. Subs: K Amechi for S McGrath, 69, D Okwute for R Kelliher, 83, C Brosnan for R Teahan, 95, S Aladesanusi for N Gleeson, 114.

Bohemians: K Chorazka, L Smith, J Mills, L Kevanagh, B McManus, D Devoy, A McDonnell, J Clarke, R Tierney, D Rooney, A Greive. Subs: Akintunde for A Greive, 58, D Grant for J Clarke, 66, D McDaid for D Rooney, 95, F Piszczek for B McManus, 107.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ivan Hurley previews a massive game in the short history of Kerry FC as they welcome Irish football royalty, Bohemian FC in the Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup Third Round clash in Mounthawk Park on Sunday afternoon…

It’s the game the majority of the Kerry faithful have been counting down to since the draw was made a number of weeks ago.

The famous Bohemians are the visitors to Mounthawk Park tomorrow. Tickets are like gold dust in the Kingdom, with the sold-out signs popping up after a matter of hours of first going on sale.

So with the Rose of Tralee festival in full swing in the town since Friday, the festival atmosphere is sure to make its way north of Denny Street to Mounthawk Park for the blockbuster occasion.

Continued below…

Having only faced one side from the top division in the past, the opportunity to welcome one of the country’s stand-out clubs is sure to be a memorable occasion for the Kerry faithful.

But progressing to the Quarter Final of the cup is the priority and a historic afternoon could quickly turn into a historic day in the club’s history should the underdog advance to the last eight.

Without a doubt, it would be a monumental undertaking for Kerry to dump last year’s finalists out of the competition, but anything is possible in Mounthawk Park.

Despite a disappointing defeat to Cobh in Tralee last time out, Kerry’s home form has been impressive in 2024, going 5 unbeaten in Mounthawk since early May.

Continued below…

Bohemians come into the game after a disappointing 3-2 defeat in Dalymount to Waterford FC, considering the Dubliners were 2-0 up in the game.

Bohemians needed a penalty to knock out Tallaght-based Shamrock Rovers out of the cup in the 2ndRound. Kerry were impressive in their 2-0 dispatching of Cobh Ramblers in St Colman’s Park back in July.

So the scene is set for a carnival clash in the home of Kerry football tomorrow afternoon, if you have a ticket hold it close to your chest and if not, make sure your calendar is kept clear from 4-6 pm on Sunday.

If you’re lucky enough to have a ticket, we are looking forward to welcoming you to Mounthawk Park. As ever, the game will be broadcast live on LOITV, with a pre-game show getting underway from 15:40 on Sunday afternoon. A full 3 camera set-up will be in place for the fixture.

The game will also be live on Radio Kerry’s Weekend Sport programme with full live and uninterrupted commentary from the gantry.

This is just the second time Kerry FC will face a team from the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division.

The Kingdom faced Drogheda United at this stage of the competition 12 months ago. Kerry went down by a single goal to nil on that occasion, hitting the crossbar on the way to a narrow defeat

Speaking to the media earlier this week, James Sugrue said they are waiting on an update regarding to new signing Oran Crowe’s availability.

Oran required several stitches after getting an elbow to the face in Friday’s defeat to Cobh Ramblers. Antonio Tuta has returned to training following an ankle injury picked up in the win against Cobh in the 2nd Round last month.

Valerii Dolia remains sidelined long term. New signing Cian Barrett is available for the game, he was on the bench for Shamrock Rovers in the defeat to Bohemians but as he didn’t make it onto the field, he isn’t cup-tied for this one

“Look we are just taking it as another game for us,” said James Sugrue. “Obviously, it’s knockout so it can all depend on the day. It’s very exciting, it’s great for the town, great for the county of Kerry and great for the club and supporters, but we must keep our heads down and work no differently from any other game.

“The players need to relish the occasion, go out and don’t let it pass them by. These are the games everyone wants to be involved in, in front of big crowds, but you have to turn up on the day, get the job done and move on to the quarter-final.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

David Moriarty reports on last night’s game at Mounthawk Park…

KERRY FC 0-2 COBH RAMBLERS

After just under a month away from Mounthawk Park, Kerry FC returned to Tralee to take on Cobh Ramblers for the second time in four games.

The last time the two faced was in the second round of the Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup where Kerry FC progressed thanks to a convincing 2-0 win in St. Colman’s Park on the 19th of July.

Goals from Cian Brosnan and Ryan Kelliher on the night secured Kerry FC a home tie at home to Bohemian FC of Dublin which takes place next Sunday in Tralee.

Kerry would like to get back to winning ways ahead of this game especially after last week’s tough three all-draw away in Athlone.

Continued below…

Kerry FC looked like they would be leaving the midlands with all three points but two late goals from Athlone saved a point for the side sitting in 2nd place with Kerry FC’s hopes of a second away League of Ireland win fading away in a cruel last few minutes of the game.

A home game against a Cobh side who are in a tough run of form could be just the test Conor McCarthy’s men need ahead of that huge FAI Cup game on Sunday week.

The first chance of the game came to Cobh Ramblers who got in at the left side of the box through Luka Le Bervet.

He took on the shot and although it was at a tight angle and was probably a safe effort for Aaron O’Sullivan but Finn Barrett got back to make an incredible block and clear the danger in the Kerry FC box.

Oran Crowe had Kerry FC’s two best chances of the half. The first came from a long-range deflected shot which looped over Darragh Burke’s goal who was in no man’s land.

Continued below…

If the shot had gone just that bit lower Kerry could have been up by a goal inside the opening seventeen minutes, but the shot dipped just over the crossbar. Burke was called into action for a second time when Oran Crowe tried another shot from outside the area.

This time his strike was on target and was hit at some pace and precision. Burke got down low to make a great save and put the ball out for a corner which subsequently led to nothing.

Darragh Burke was making a strong case for man of the match in the first half alone. He did brilliantly to deny Cian Brosnan twice with the second being a header from point-blank range which was unfortunately put down the keeper’s throat.

With four minutes before a half that Kerry FC were probably the better side in, Cobh Ramblers took the lead through Jack Larkin.

The ball went wayward and was in the air waiting to be struck. Larkin played the lotto and it paid off as his volley took a deflection off of Andy Spain and wrong-footed O’Sullivan to give the Ramblers a half-time lead.

The second half was a poor one from both sides to say the least with most of the action coming in the first forty-five minutes.

Kerry FC had the chance to equalise the game in the sixty-fourth minute when Burke was caught in no man’s land for the first time in the game and Oran Crowe got a slight touch of a header aiming goalwards.

Unfortunately for Kerry FC, the effort was cleared off the line and despite a lot of shouts from both players and fans behind the goal, the play was waved on.

Eleven minutes later Finn Barrett who played exceptionally well in just his third Kerry FC start rattled the crossbar from a cross/shot that only he knows if it was intentional or not.

Cobh had very few chances in the second half and Kerry FC needed to find an equaliser quickly if they were to take anything from the game.

Unfortunately, eight minutes after Barrett’s chance Cobh doubled their lead through Brendan Frahill.

Some great work and trickery by substitute Regix Madika on the left side of the box found space to curl the ball into the danger area and Frahill was there with the slightest of headers to see the ball go into the back of the net.

The game from then on was wrapped up and Kerry FC suffered their first home defeat since the 10th of May.

Kerry FC will need to up their game from the night’s display as they now look ahead to next Sunday’s huge FAI Cup third-round game against Premier Division side Bohemians.

It was a tough result for Kerry FC and the home faithful will be hoping they dust themselves off and go again in what is set to be the biggest game in Kerry FC’s short history.

KERRY FC TEAM: 30. AARON O’SULLIVAN, 23. FINN BARRETT, 6. ETHAN KOS, 5. ANDY SPAIN (C), 3. SEAN O’CONNELL, 24. CIAN BARRETT, 8. RONAN TEAHAN, 4. ORAN CROWE, 13. NATHAN GLEESON, 9. RYAN KELLIHER, 17. CIAN BROSNAN.

SUBS: DARRAGH FOLEY, SAMUEL ALADESANUSI, TOGOR SILONG, VICTOR UDEZE, BOBBY AMADASUN, DANIEL OKWUTE, TOM HEALY, KENNEDY AMECHI, ANDREW KERINS.

COBH RAMBLERS TEAM: 1. DARRAGH BURKE, 2. MICHAEL MCCARTHY, 3. CIAN BROWNE, 5. BRENDAN FRAHILL (GOAL ‘83), 9. MATTHEW MCKEVITT, 10. JACK LARKIN (GOAL ‘41), 11. JAMES O’LEARY, 12. NOLAN EVERS, 28. DALE HOLLAND, 38. LUKA LE BERVET 39. JASON ABBOTT (C).

SUBS: CATHAL O’HANLON, JUSTIN EGUAIBOR, PIERCE PHILLIPS, DAVID BOSNJAK, CHARLIE O’BRIEN, DAVID EGUAIBOR, TIERNAN O’BRIEN, REGIX MADIKA.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

By Ivan Hurley

The Kingdom return to Mounthawk Park for the first time in just over a month tomorrow night when they host Cobh Ramblers in the Tralee venue.

It’s been three games on the trot away from home so players and supporters are looking forward to a return to the Kingdom as the summer starts creeping into the autumn.

Not only will Kerry be looking for a return home, they will also be looking to a return to the impressive home form the side has held in previous weeks. Kerry are unbeaten in Mounthawk Park since the visit of UCD back on the 10th of May so have become a formidable side in front of the home support.

Continued below…

Currently 9th in the table, Kerry are 4 clear of Longford at the basement of the table. Tomorrow’s opponents sit just outside the play-off places and 11 points ahead of Kerry on the table.

A win is badly needed for the Kingdom to keep in touch with the sides just in front of them on the table.

And there is plenty to be hopeful for McCarthy’s charges ahead of this one. An impressive 2-0 for Kerry when the sides met last.

That came in the Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup away in St Colman’s Park which booked Kerry into the last 16 and a glamour tie against Bohs to come next week.

In fact, barring Kerry FC’s first-ever fixture in the league, Kerry and Cobh have shared the spoils in the two other meetings in Mounthawk Park, with Kerry knocking Cobh out of the Munster Senior Cup in Tralee as well.

This has been the longest gap of home games in the club’s history. Following the Bray game on July 12th, Kerry have played away 3 times in a row so it’s been a month away from Mounthawk Park for the Kingdom

Speaking to the media earlier this week, James Sugrue said former Athlone man Valerii Dolia is nearer to a return than in previous weeks but is still a bit away from a return.

Antonio Tuta has returned to training after an ankle injury and is in contention once again. Ronan Teahan returns from his one-match suspension and is available again for selection

“We are itching to get back playing at home,” said James Sugrue. “It’s been 3 weeks away and that’s a long time to be playing matches away from Mounthawk Park. So we are really looking forward to it, to get all our supporters back in Tralee.”

“We need to put on a good show for them because look, we are in a good place at the moment, the work rate is there and training is going very well. We have fellas pushing for positions all over the pitch. So ya, really looking forward to the game now.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

David Moriarty reports on an entertaining match last night in Athlone…

ATHLONE TOWN 3-3 KERRY FC

On Friday evening Kerry FC completed their third away game in a row as they faced Athlone Town in the Midlands.

They come to Athlone after a close 2-0 defeat against Cork City in Turners Cross last Friday where goals from Charlie Lyons and Barry Coffey secured all three points for the league leaders.

Kerry FC came into the game hoping to get more points on the board as they have only managed two out of a possible twelve since their 2-1 win over Longford Town on the 13th of June.

Continued below…

On the day of the game, Kerry FC announced the departures of both Daire McCarthy and Kevin Williams but were boosted by the news during the week that Cian Barrett was returning to the club where he spent last season on loan from Premier Division reigning champions Shamrock Rovers.

Barrett is due to remain at the club until the end of the season before returning to Rovers at the end of the 2024 campaign. Barrett showed great qualities during his time at the club and Head Coach Conor McCarthy hopes to see more of what was conveyed last season.

Cian Barrett was named in the starting eleven for the game against Athlone along with another start for both Oran Crowe and Finn Barrett who impressed last time out in Cork.

Nathan Gleeson came close after just two minutes when his effort from outside the box was taken quickly and nearly caught out Lee Axworthy at his left-hand post.

Nathan of course scored in Kerry FC’s first-ever League of Ireland win against Athlone last season and nearly got himself another goal in Athlone.

Continued below…

Athlone got their first effort on goal when a Dylan Hand header off the back of a free kick on the left side of the box went just wide of Aaron O’Sullivan’s goal. Athlone started to settle into the game a lot more inside the twenty-minute mark but were not able to work the Kerry FC defence as they would have liked to.

Aaron O’Sullivan was called into action for the first time in the twenty-fourth minute when Gideon Tetteh took a shot from the edge of the box and O’Sullivan did well to parry it out from the bottom left corner for a corner which led to nothing.

Athlone had another good chance just three minutes later when Brian Torre found Dean Ebbe for a free header, but he got too much on it and the ball went safely over the crossbar to ease the Kerry FC minds.

Athlone kept ticking away and eventually got their goal in the thirty-third minute as former Kerry FC man Leo Gaxha did well down the left-hand side and passed it across the six-yard box only for a deflection from Andy Spain to take it behind Aaron O’Sullivan and across the line.

Just five minutes later Kerry FC were back in the game as Oran Crowe got his first goal for the club.

Crowe got the ball inside the area and bulldozed his way through to get his shot off and trickled past Axworthy who got a bit on it but not enough to keep out the effort. A fantastic response from Kerry FC who were only behind for a mere five minutes.

Kerry FC had a fantastic end to the first half as they turned the game on its head when they took the lead on the stroke of half time through their captain Andy Spain.

A lovely, delivered corner from Cian Brosnan went all the way to Spain inside the area who had a free shot on goal to put Kerry ahead a minute before the whistle was blown for half time.

Athlone Town started the second half well with a couple of half chances, but nothing stuck as Kerry FC defended very well. Bobby Amadasun came on at half time to replace Finn Barrett for his debut.

It got even better for Kerry FC in the fifty-seventh minute when they were awarded a penalty.

Oran Crowe took a shot outside the box; it struck the arm of Dylan Hand and referee Glen Geraghty had no hesitation in pointing to the spot which Ryan Kelliher slotted with real composure into the bottom left corner.

Athlone nearly got one back in the sixty-third minute when a back-passed header from Andy Spain caught Aaron O’Sullivan off guard. It hit the post and came back to Dean Ebbe who had a glorious chance to get a goal back for Athlone, but O’Sullivan did well to get down and make a fantastic save to keep a two goal Kerry FC advantage.

The third goal put Kerry in full control who played the ball around with great fluidity. Athlone tried their best to get attacks going but Kerry were nullifying the home side’s attacking threat.

The great work from Kerry’s attackers nearly paid off once again when Daniel Okwute had a chance to make it four.

Dylan Hand played a poor pass back to Lee Axworthy which Ryan Kelliher was alive to. Okwute’s angle was tight and his shot along the ground went just wide of the left-hand post.

With five minutes to go Athlone Town got a goal back through Brian Torre. Bobby Amadasun’s half clearance bobbled up to Torre and his half volley hit the crossbar and just went over the line as the linesman raised his flag. Just two minutes later Kerry FC were hit with another blow as Dylan Hand equalised from a corner.

The ball came into the box and Hand got there to finish the ball into the bottom left corner to complete the comeback.

Kerry did their best in the remaining minutes to not concede another and held on for a point on the road. The game seemed to be done and dusted and unfortunately for Kerry they could not hold on and get the result that about eighty minutes of the game deserved.

They are back at home next Friday as they take on Cobh Ramblers in Mounthawk Park as their search for three points continues.

ATHLONE TOWN TEAM: 30. LEE AXWORTHY, 4. NOWH VAN GEENEN, 6. DYLAN HAND (GOAL ‘87), 8. AARON CONNOLLY, 9. DEAN EBBE, 14. AMARDO AKEEM OAKLEY, 18. OISIN DUFFY (C), 21. LEO GAXHA, 22. BRIAN TORRE (GOAL ‘84), 24. GIDEON TETTEH, 31. ALEX BYRNE.

SUBS: A. STUART TRAINOR, DANIEL MCKENNA, JAMAR CAMPION HINDS, KYLE ROBINSON, MICHAEL MCHUGH, SHANE FORBES, DIVINE IZEKOR, ROSCOE RUBINSTEIN, AGBO BABATUNDE

KERRY FC TEAM: 30. AARON O’SULLIVAN, 23. FINN BARRETT, 6. ETHAN KOS (OWN GOAL ‘33), 5. ANDY SPAIN (C) (GOAL ‘45), 3. SEAN O’CONNELL, 24. CIAN BARRETT, 7. SEAN MCGRATH, 4. ORAN CROWE (GOAL ‘38), 13. NATHAN GLEESON, 9. RYAN KELLIHER (PEN GOAL ‘57), 17. CIAN BROSNAN.

SUBS: DARRAGH FOLEY, SAMUEL ALADESANUSI, TOGOR SILONG, VICTOR UDEZE, BOBBY AMADASUN, DANIEL OKWUTE, TOM HEALY, KENNEDY AMECHI

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

By Ivan Hurley

KERRY Football Club faces their third away game in succession as they travel to Lissywollen to take on Athlone Town on match night 26 of the SSE Airtricity First Division campaign (kick-off 7.45pm).

It’s second against ninth in the division as Kerry face the top two in the league away from home in back-to-back league matches.

Following a 2-0 defeat in Turners Cross to league leaders Cork City, Kerry will be looking for a better overall performance against the league’s in-form side Athlone Town.

Continued below…

Following the cup win in Cobh two weeks ago, the Kingdom will be looking to reignite their season with 10 matches remaining but it will be a tough ask against the inform Athlone Town outfit.

Five wins back to back since mid-June has the Midlanders sitting pretty in the playoff places, 13 points safe from collapse out of the positions.

Despite Kerry’s recent upturn in home form, the wait for a league win away from home rumbles on for McCarthy’s men in 2024.

In fact, the club’s sole away league victory came against Athlone Town last season. So Kerry will have to bring their A-game if there is to be a chance of an upset in Athlone.

But Kerry will carry confidence from previous meetings against Athlone which have all been tight affairs. With just a single draw between the sides, neither team has won the previous five meetings by more than a single goal in the club’s short history against each other.

That coupled with two former Kerry men in the home dressing room is sure to add a tasty feel to this one. Leo Gaxha and Lee Axworthy have both swapped the green of Kerry for Athlone’s black in recent weeks. It is definitely not a game to be missed!

Only a single goal has ever separated these two sides in the previous meetings. A 1-1 draw in Mounthawk Park being the exception earlier this year, wins for both Kerry and Athlone have been by the narrowest possible margin over the last 18 months

Speaking to the media earlier this week, James Sugrue said former Athlone man Valerii Dolia is nearer to a return than in previous weeks but will sit this one out. Andy Spain returned from a knock to play the 90 minutes against Cork last time out but goalkeeper Antonio Tuta was sidelined for that one. He is in line to return on Friday.

“We are well aware Athlone are a very good side,” said James Sugrue. “They were very good last year and have strengthened this year as well. But we go up there with the same mentality again, same as we did against Cork. A good footballing side, a lot of speed. They are on the top side of the table for a reason, so we know it will be tough. But like I say, we fear nobody, we will apply ourselves, go there with a plan and give it a good shot’.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

KERRY Football Club will host an inaugural Golf Classic on Friday, September 20th which will take place on the beautiful Beaufort Golf Course.

The club will swap the big ball for the small ball for one day only in a bid to raise funds for the club which fields 6 teams across the Academy and Senior structures.

Kerry FC was formed originally with a Men’s Under 17’s team continuing to grow out to a full League of Ireland Academy side. Back in November 2022, the club received a license to compete in the senior league, entering a men’s team in the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division.

Continued below…

The club has been going from strength to strength since and has now welcomed a Women’s team at Under 17 level for the first time.

With some award-winning golf courses on the club’s doorstep, Kerry FC are delighted to reveal details of our first-ever Golf Classic which will take place on the stunning parkland course in Beaufort, right in the heart of Mid Kerry.

Teams of four can now enter the event, which will be both a test of golf and an enjoyable and fun occasion for everyone. Teams of four are €250 while you can also sponsor a tee box for €100 is also available. There will be some fantastic prizes for the winners and a raffle and goodie bags on the day.

Speaking at the launch of the Golf Classic, Kerry FC General Manager Sean O’Keeffe said “We are delighted to be in a position to host a golf classic in 2024. It’s been in our planning for several years, but last year being our first year in the league made it difficult to find time to do anything”.

Sean added; “Beaufort is a fantastic course, nice and challenging but can be a course where some good scores can come in as well. So we are looking forward to welcoming everyone to Beaufort and Kerry for the event, we have a good number of teams entered already so I’m sure it will be a successful event.”

To enter the event or to sponsor a tee box you can contact Sean O’Keeffe on 087 189 0892 or Eamonn Foley on 086 807 4886

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

KERRY FC has announced the re-signing of Cian Barrett from Shamrock Rovers on a loan deal until the end of the 2024 campaign

The 19-year-old has made the switch to the kingdom and signs for Kerry FC’s senior squad for the remainder of the 2024 season from the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division Champions

Barrett signed for the Shamrock Rovers Academy and played at under 15 level before moving across Dublin to Shelbourne to play in the EA Sports MU17 League of Ireland.  In 2022, Barrett made the switch back to Tallaght and re-signed for the Shamrock Rovers senior squad.

Continued below…

Barrett played his football for Kerry FC in 2023, featuring in 30 games, starting 24 of those and played a crucial role in Kerry’s inaugural season. Since returning to Rovers this season, Cian has featured in Rovers Presidents Cup win, played in 6 Premier Division games and has been part of the club’s UEFA Champions League squad in recent weeks.

Barrett plays in midfield and is a versatile player. He considers himself comfortable in a central role or on the right side of midfield. Cian is the son of former Irish international Graham Barrett and Cian has worn the international jersey at under 15 level, securing 10 caps for Ireland.

Barrett will wear the number 24 shirt for Kerry FC for the remainder of this season.

Speaking on his announcement as a Kerry FC player, Cian Barrett said; “I’m delighted to be back and looking forward to getting started. I had a couple of options closer to home but everyone at Kerry was brilliant with me last season and I really enjoyed my time here. So I felt if I was going out to the first division to get games I wanted to show them the same loyalty they showed me. I can’t wait to meet everyone in Mounthawk Park again and get a big push on for the remainder of the season”

Also speaking to kerryfc.com following the announcement, First Team Head Coach Conor McCarthy said “It’s great to have Cian back for the rest of the season. He was a fan favourite here last season and did really well for us. Since he’s gone back to Rovers he’s also been doing well with plenty of appearances in the Presidents Cup and several League games as well. I was chatting to him this morning and he’s excited to get back to Kerry and is mad to get going. He enjoys the club here, the environment, the fans so is buzzing to get back to the Kingdom. He will be a big addition to us now until the end of the season”.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

David Moriarty reports on Kerry’s defeat at Turners Cross last night…

CORK CITY 2-0 KERRY FC

Kerry FC made their third trip to Turners Cross on Friday evening, taking on league leaders Cork City.

The last time the two faced each other was back in May when a tenth-minute Evan McLaughlin penalty was enough for the rebels to take all three points in Mounthawk Park in a narrow victory.

The last time the two faced each other in Cork was on the season’s opening night when Kerry FC brought five hundred travelling supporters to a convincing 2-0 win for the hosts with both goals coming from Jack Doherty for the Leesiders.

Continued below…

Finn Barrett and Oran Crowe were lined up in the starting eleven to make their first starts for the Kingdom. Aaron O’Sullivan returned in between the sticks for Kerry FC as Antonio Tuta was sidelined due to a foot injury he sustained in last week’s Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup win over Cobh Ramblers.

Jack Doherty missed the last game between the two sides and would like to return to where he left off against Kerry FC, a side that Doherty has a good scoring record over the past two seasons.

One thing was sure ahead of kick-off and that was that the crowd in attendance were about to get a great Munster Derby game.

Cork started out of the traps the fastest as Jack Doherty had a chance to put the home side one nil up inside the opening two minutes.

He received the ball in a good area and rounded Aaron O’Sullivan who did brilliantly to push Doherty out to a wider area. Doherty got his shot off but it sailed well wide of the goal.

Doherty was again in the action as a shot inside the area crept wide of O’Sullivan’s right-hand post. Kerry FC had their first big chance of the game in the eighteenth minute when Nathan Gleeson’s effort outside the area crashed off the top of the crossbar.

Aaron O’Sullivan was called into action once again when a shot from Cian Murphy eight yards out from goal looked to be going in, but O’Sullivan made a great save to clear the danger.

Before the half-ended Kerry FC would have another chance as Nathan Gleeson again received the ball on the half-volley but unfortunately his shot sailed over the crossbar. If the strike was kept down ever so slightly Kerry could have gone in at halftime a goal to the good.

Kerry defended impressively throughout the first half and earned the right to go in at half-time level pegging. Cork City came into the game fifteen points clear at the top of the table and knew they had to keep plugging away and their big chances would eventually come.

The possession at the beginning of the second half was relatively even with both sides attacking on goal but very little coming from attacking possession at either end of the pitch.

With thirty minutes to play in the game, Kerry needed to hang on for as long as possible but Cork City are league leaders for a reason and always find ways to score which they eventually did in the sixty-sixth minute through Charlie Lyons.

A free kick taken by Jack Doherty was blocked by Andy Spain, but the ricochet fell kindly to Lyons at the back post to put the home side a goal to the good.

A very unfortunate goal for Kerry to concede but when you play a team like Cork City, they always find a way to get themselves ahead of the opposition.

With thirteen minutes left on the clock, Kerry’s evening went from bad to worse when Ronan Teahan was sent off for a second yellow card which will leave him out of selection for next week’s trip to Athlone.

It seemed like a harsh second yellow, but the referee had no hesitation in reaching for his back pocket.

Barry Coffey added another for Cork City with two minutes to play as a short corner played out to the edge of the box to Coffey was struck well and ended in the bottom left corner.

There was a shout for offside as O’Sullivan’s view was obstructed by a City player in an offside position, but the goal stood, and Cork City would run out eventual two-nil winners.

A tough night in the office for Kerry FC who did well to stay in the game as long as they did. They now look ahead to next week’s game away to Athlone Town, a third game in a row on the road for the Kingdom

CORK CITY TEAM: 1. BRAD WADE, 4. CIAN COLEMAN (C), 5. CHARLIE LYONS (GOAL ‘67), 6. GREG BOLGER, 7. MALIK DIJKSTEEL 8. EVAN MCLAUGHLIN, 16. SEAN MURRAY, 17. DARRAGH CROWLEY, 19. JACK DOHERTY, 22. CATHAL O’SULLIVAN, 24. CIAN MURPHY.

SUBS: AIDAN DOWLING, JOHN O’DONOVAN, BARRY COFFEY (GOAL ‘88), JOSHUA FITZPATRICK, JOSH FITZPATRICK, ARRAN HEALY, KIERNAN, SOWINSKI, HARVEY SKIETERS.

KERRY FC TEAM: 30. AARON O’SULLIVAN, 23. FINN BARRETT, 6. ETHAN KOS, 5. ANDY SPAIN (C), 3. SEAN O’CONNELL, 8. RONAN TEAHAN (RED CARD ‘77), 7. SEAN MCGRATH, 4. ORAN CROWE, 13. NATHAN GLEESON, 9. RYAN KELLIHER, 17. CIAN BROSNAN.

SUBS: DARRAGH FOLEY, SAMUEL ALADESANUSI, TOGOR SILONG, VICTOR UDEZE, BOBBY AMADASUN, DANIEL OKWUTE, TOM HEALY

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

By Ivan Hurley

WITH the drama of a big cup win now behind the Kingdom, it’s time to put the focus back onto the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division this coming Friday evening.

Cork City FC are the opponents this week in the famous Turners Cross stadium on Leeside at 7.45pm. Kerry come into the game in some good league form which has been backed up with a cup win away from home against league rivals Cobh Ramblers last time out.

Four wins in the last 9 with two draws has seen Kerry surpass the 20-point mark in the league, 10 better off than all of last season combined. However, the challenge of the runaway league leaders will be no easy task for McCarthy’s charges on Friday night.

Continued below…

Cork has a near-perfect record in the league this season, the only blemish on their card was a narrow 1-0 defeat on the road in Athlone Town.

Nine wins and 3 draws have made Turners Cross a fortress for our hosts on Friday night and look set to return to the Men’s Premier Division at the first time of asking.

But McCarthy has plenty to be positive about ahead of the trip to Leeside on Friday. Kerry were competitive on the league’s opening night against Cork.

Despite going down by two goals to nil, the Kingdom put in a good shift and had several chances throughout the game. The meeting of the sides in Mounthawk Park on Matchday 12 was closer again. An early penalty for City was the only thing between the sides on a night where Kerry had multiple chances to grab an equaliser.

So, take the chances when they come, defend well and do what Kerry have been doing over the last 8 or 10 games and this one will be more than just a formality for the run-away league leaders

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 trip to Turners Cross on Friday night. Valerii Dolia continues to be out long term.

Antonio Tuta and Andy Spain picked up knocks during the cup win away in Cobh last time out and will be assessed. Kennedy Amechi and Conor McCarthy himself will serve their final game bans on Friday before returning to the pitch and sidelines respectively.

“Cork is another good test for us,” said Conor McCarthy. “These games really tell you where you are at. Obviously, as the table suggests, they are a better team than us and probably have a lot more resources or whatnot.

But we will go there to win like every other game this year. We’ve seen that in our two meetings to date that we can be very competitive against them. Especially in the game in Mounthawk Park, a penalty is all that separated the sides on the night. It was a game we could, and probably should have taken something out of. That gives the boys confidence and they are looking forward to the game. It’s a busy period at the moment but the lads are up for it.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

TICKETS for this one will be hard to come by!

After Kerry FC’s win away against Cobh Ramblers away on Friday night, the local side have been drawn against Bohemians in the third round of the Sports Direct FAI Cup…and it’s a home tie too.

The draw took place earlier today and sees the game take place on the week-ending August 18 (time and date TBC).

It’s set to draw a capacity crowd to the Tralee ground and with the Féile Thrá-Lí and the Rose of Tralee International Festival also taking place that weekend, it should be some occasion.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

David Moriarty reports on a great win on the road against Cobh Ramblers in the Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup Second Round…

COBH RAMBLERS 0-2 KERRY FC

After a crazy game last week in the league against Bray Wanderers, Kerry FC started their second cup campaign of the season as they took on Cobh Ramblers in the second round of the Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup in St. Colman’s Park.

Kerry FC have already played Cobh in a cup competition this season as the Kingdom booked their ticket to the last four of the Munster Senior Cup with a win against the Rams back in February.

The last time the two faced each other in St. Colman’s Park, Cobh came out narrow 1-0 winners with a goal from Matthew McKevitt.

Continued below…

That game was a tight affair and this game promised to be no different. Cobh came into the fixture in a poor run of form with just one win in their previous four games and hoped a cup win could turn their fortunes around.

For Kerry, it has just been one loss in their previous four with the majority of games being draws. Ryan Kelliher has been in a rich vein of form scoring seven in his last five outings and the Killarney man looked to continue his run on the south coast of the rebel county.

Antonio Tuta and Andy Spain returned to the starting eleven with Cian Brosnan keeping his place after his superb display last week against Bray which he left a mark with an assist for Kelliher’s first goal of his historic hat-trick game.

Kerry FC had a strong bench with the likes of Samuel Aladesanusi, Oran Crowe and Daniel Okwute ready to come on when needed.

Continued below…

Kerry FC came out of the traps quickly but were nearly caught out after just two minutes when Matthew McKevitt’s free header inside the area went wide of Antonio Tuta’s right-hand post.

Despite the early scare, Kerry FC did not panic and just seven minutes after the early chance from the home side they took the lead through Cian Brosnan.

Sean McGrath broke away with the ball in an attacking area before leaving it off to Brosnan. He took his time and fired low and hard into the near post leaving Cathal O’Hanlon no chance.

Two minutes after the opener, Cobh were in danger once again as Nolan Evers took down Kevin Williams in the box to give Kerry FC a penalty. O’Hanlon threw out the ball in hospital fashion with Williams getting on the end of it. The Kerry FC right-back took the ball past Evers and Declan Toland had no other choice but to point to the spot. The man in top form Ryan Kelliher stood up to take the spot kick and slotted it with ease into the bottom right corner to make it two penalty goals in two games.

Kerry nearly made it 3-0 to put the game to bed in the twenty-fourth minute when Cian Brosnan tried an audacious bicycle kick on the end of a Sean McGrath cross, but the effort went agonisingly close and unfortunately wide.

Kerry went 2-0 up against Bray last week and needed to keep their heads screwed on to avoid a double blow which they suffered in quick succession last Friday night.

The half ended a lot less frantically than it started with Kerry FC being comfortable in possession and seeing out the first forty-five two goals to the good.

Just after the restart, Kerry FC were desperate to get the third goal as Cian Brosnan got on the end of Oran Crowe’s cross at the back post but there was not enough power on the header and O’Hanlon caught the ball with some ease.

Like Brosnan, Ryan Kelliher was also in the mood to grab another as he took on a long-range shot which was also caught by O’Hanlon.

Daire McCarthy was placed into centre back as a replacement for Andy Spain in the first half who picked up a knock in the warmup and slotted into the position brilliantly showing calmness and personification in a role he is not usually used to.

Just after the hour mark things went from bad to worse for Cobh as Beineon O’Brien Whitmarsh was shown a second yellow card for a late challenge. A silly tackle to make when the home side was chasing the game and there were no complaints from the accused as he headed back into the dressing room before being shown the red card.

Kerry FC had very few chances for the remainder of the game but had two goals ruled out for offside and Ryan Kelliher and Cian Brosnan were both punished for late runs by the linesman. Both decisions were correct with the second from Brosnan being a lot tighter than the first.

Daniel Okwute then came on and nearly made it three as he created space for himself inside the left side of the box. He struck his shot with power and from a tight angle, but it was deflected out for a corner which eventually came to nothing.

Kerry saw out the remainder of the game easily and went out 2-0 winners to put themselves in the hat for the third-round draw which takes place on Tuesday. It was Kerry FC’s only second away win in the club’s history with the first coming over a year ago against Athlone Town.

As Kerry waits to see who they will face in the next round they now look forward to another trip to Cork as they take on Cork City in Turners Cross for the second time this season in the hopes to make it two wins from two against sides in the rebel county.

COBH RAMBLERS TEAM: 30. CATHAL O’HANLON, 2. MICHAEL MCCARTHY, 4. JUSTIN EGUAIBOR, 5. BRENDAN FRAHILL, 7. BEINEON O’BRIEN WHITMARSH (RED CARD ’61), 9. MATTHEW MCKEVITT, 10. JACK LARKIN, 11. JAMES O’LEARY, 12. NOLAN EVERS, 28. DALE HOLLAND, 39. JASON ABBOTT (C).

SUBS: DARRAGH BURKE, CIAN BROWNE, LIAM KERVICK, DAVID BOSNJAK, ALESSANDRO DESANCTIS, CHARLIE O’BRIEN, DAVID EGUAIBOR, LUKA LE BERVET.

KERRY FC TEAM: 1. ANTONIO TUTA, 15. KEVIN WILLIAMS, 6. ETHAN KOS, 5. ANDY SPAIN (C), 3. SEAN O’CONNELL, 8. RONAN TEAHAN, 7. SEAN MCGRATH, 21. DAIRE MCCARTHY, 123. NATHAN GLEESON, 9. RYAN KELLIHER (C) (GOAL ’11), 17. CIAN BROSNAN (GOAL ‘9).

SUBS: AARON O’SULLIVAN, SAMUEL ALADESANUSI, ORAN CROWE, GRAHAM O’REILLY, FINN BARRETT, TOGOR SILONG, VICTOR UDEZE, BOBBY AMADASUN, DANIEL OKWUTE.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

By Ivan Hurley

It’s a break from the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division this weekend as Kerry FC begin their second campaign in the Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup in a game that has plenty of league flavour.

They face Cobh Ramblers on Friday at St Colman’s Park, Cobh with a 7:45pm kick-off. Despite exiting the cup in the third round in 2023, there was a lot to be happy about the Kingdom’s Cup campaign last term.

The squad secured their first-ever home win in Mounthawk Park against Ringmahon Rangers by 2 goals to nil thanks to a Ryan Kelliher brace.

Continued below…

SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division side Drogheda United were the visitors to Tralee in the third round. A gutsy performance from the league’s newcomers but our cup campaign came to an end by the narrowest of margins.

Kerry will be looking to go a step or two better in 2024 but has been set a tough task in the opening round. A first away cup tie is sure to be tricky against a Cobh Ramblers side that are a regular opponent for Kerry FC.

The clubs away from this season have been far from what has been expected. 4 draws away from home and without a win will need to be turned around tomorrow evening if Kerry are to progress without the dreaded extra time or penalty shootout.

Kerry come into the game off the back of an emphatic 3-3 draw with Bray Wanderers in Mounthawk Park last weekend in a game that had everything, including a hat trick for the now-league top scorer Ryan Kelliher.

Cobh come into the game off the back of a tough 3-0 defeat to Wexford FC in Ferrycarrig Park and are sure to be looking to bounce back from that result in front of their home support.

This is the first time Kerry have been drawn away in any cup competition in the club’s history. 2 FAI Cup games in 2023 were at home and the 3 Munster Senior Cup games up to the semi-final were played in Mounthawk Park

Conor McCarthy issued a near-full bill of health ahead of this game. Valerii Dolia is coming close to a return but the trip to Cobh will probably come too soon for the Ukrainian. Andy Spain, who missed last Friday night’s game due to illness, is back fighting fit and in contention.

“Look it’s a Cup competition, it’s exciting for everyone,” said Conor McCarthy. “We did well in the Munster Senior Cup. It’s kind of a one-off game and anything can happen so we are looking forward to the game itself. I suppose in the way we view it and our approach, I don’t think it changes a whole pile. We go there to try and win the game like we would anywhere else”.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

David Moriarty reports on last night’s dramatic 3-3 draw against Bray Wanderers in Mounthawk Park…

KERRY FC 3-3 BRAY WANDERERS

Kerry FC were back at home after the longest trip of the season last week when they played Finn Harps in Ballybofey.
A narrow loss in that one meant a long trip back for the boys on Friday morning.

It was a competitive game with both teams having their fair share of chances, but the home side from Donegal prevailed and claimed all three points.

Ronan Teahan came close by hitting the upright and Aaron O’Sullivan made some great saves to keep the score close, but it was not enough on the night unfortunately.

Continued below…

The last time out against Bray Wanderers was at the Carlisle Grounds as Kerry were defeated 2-0. Goals from Cristian Magerusan and Peter Grogan claimed Bray’s sixth win out of six against Kerry FC since the Kingdom’s first appearance in the league last season.

Kerry would be hopeful of going one better and picking up at least a point against the Seagulls as Kerry are now four games undefeated at home. This was extended thanks to the late Ryan Kelliher equaliser two weeks ago against Wexford FC.

New signing Oran Crowe was a part of the squad for the clash and MU20’s player Bobby Amadasun made the step up to the senior team for the first time. The two debutants hoped to come on and make an instant impact in front of the home faithful in Tralee.

Kerry FC started the game well on top and after just three minutes Nathan Gleeson took the ball around Stephen McGuinness in the Bray goal, he passed the ball out to Sean McGrath whose shot was deflected behind for a corner. The subsequent corner came to nothing but it was a fantastic start from the home side.

Continued below…

Just five minutes later Ryan Kelliher had the ball in the back of the net but was given offside. There were a few shouts that the linesman had made the wrong decision but he stood his ground and stuck to his decision.

In a mad first ten minutes, Cian Brosnan had a shout for a penalty for a slight nudge in the back. Play was waved on and was probably the right decision as there was very minimal contact.

For a crazy opening ten minutes from the Kingdom where they were by far the better team, they got their reward through Ryan Kelliher.

A lovely intricate ball from Cian Brosnan down the channel opened up Ryan to be one-on-one with McGuinness. A slight touch around the Bray keeper from Kelliher was enough to put Kerry FC one goal to the good.

Ten minutes after going a goal ahead Kerry were awarded a penalty when Ryan Kelliher was amongst the action again when Max Murphy clipped Kelliher inside the area.

Mark Moynihan had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and Ryan made no mistake when slotting it home into the bottom right corner.

McGuinness was close to getting there but the power was too much for Bray’s number one. Just twenty-three minutes into the game Kerry FC were in dreamland.

The dream had a dent in it though because just four minutes after Kerry’s second goal, Bray got one back. Darren Craven received a fizzed pass into his feet from twenty-five yards out, he took one touch and thumped it into the bottom left corner giving Bray hope.

The hope was doubled just a minute later when Harry Groome equalised just two minutes later. He received the ball on the half turn and had plenty of space and time to think about his shot before finding the bottom left corner.

On the stroke of half time, Nathan Gleeson nearly got Kerry back ahead when his lobbed effort from twenty yards out hit the top of the crossbar and fell kindly into the arms of McGuinness. The half-finished two a piece in a game that was breathtaking for the neutral.

Eleven minutes after the restart Kerry FC were on the front foot and got back in front thanks to a club first ever hat-trick courtesy of number nine Ryan Kelliher.

Bray were caught out at the back and a simple pass played Kelliher through on goal. The composure shown on display to take the ball around the keeper and finish with his weaker foot was nothing short of top-class from the Killarney man who writes his name into the history books.

The joy and jubilation was evident in and around the ground in admiration for the club’s leading goal scorer. Unfortunately, the jubilant atmosphere was short-lived as substitute Ben Feeney equalised with a free header into the bottom corner.

It was very disappointing to go level again after all the hard work was undone because of a free header inside the area.

There were very few opportunities in the final fifteen and it finished in a stalemate. On one hand an unbelievable night for Ryan Kelliher but on the other three points should have been grasped.

Kerry FC will take the point and move on as they head into the second round of the FAI Cup next week when they take on Cobh Ramblers in St. Colman’s Park looking to start a fresh cup campaign in style with a win.

KERRY FC TEAM: 30. AARON O’SULLIVAN, 15. KEVIN WILLIAMS, 6. ETHAN KOS, 18. SAMUEL ALADESANUSI, 3. SEAN O’CONNELL, 8. RONAN TEAHAN, 7. SEAN MCGRATH, 21. DAIRE MCCARTHY, 123. NATHAN GLEESON, 9. RYAN KELLIHER (C) (GOAL ’13, ’25, ’57), 17. CIAN BROSNAN.

SUBS: ANTONIO TUTA, ANDY SPAIN, ORAN CROWE, GRAHAM O’REILLY, FINN BARRETT, TOGOR SILONG, VICTOR UDEZE, BOBBY AMADASUN, DANIEL OKWUTE.

BRAY WANDERERS TEAM: 25. STEPHEN MCGUINNESS, 2. MAX MURPHY, 4. KILLIAN CANTWELL ( C ), 7. DARREN CRAVEN (GOAL ‘7), 8. HARRY GROOME (GOAL ‘8), 11. CALLUM THOMPSON, 14. FREDDIE TURLEY, 15. ZACH NOLAN, 16. PAUL MURPHY, 18. PETER GROGAN, 31. KIERAN CRUISE.

SUBS: BEN CLARK, COLE OMOREHIOMWAN, GUILLERMO ALMIRALL, BEN FEENEY (GOAL ’78), THOMAS MORGAN, ZAYD ABADA, CONOR KNIGHT, JOSH MCGLONE

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

KERRY Football Club has announced the signing of Oran Crowe who makes the switch from Cork City FC to the Kingdom for the remainder of the 2024 campaign.

Crowe, who is 20 years of age is a versatile midfielder who applies his trade at centre midfield. A graduate of the Cork City FC Academy, Crowe has gone on to make 15 appearances for the Rebel Army in both the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier and First Divisions as well as appearing in the Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup and Munster Senior Cup.

At underage level, Oran Crowe played for the Republic of Ireland at both Under 16 and Under 17 levels. Crowe will be no stranger to Mounthawk Park as he lined out for his country at the Victory Shield competition held at the Tralee venue in November 2018 at Under 16 level.

Continued below…

He also played for Ireland in the UEFA European Under 17 Championship qualifiers against Israel, Andorra and Montenegro in 2019.

Speaking to wwwkerryfc.com following his signing, Oran Crowe said; “I am delighted to have signed for Kerry and I can’t wait to get going. I’m very grateful to Conor and James for the opportunity to come in and play for them. There is plenty to play for between now and the end of the season so I am aiming to contribute as much as possible to the team between now and then.”

Also speaking to www.kerryfc.com following Crowe’s signing, First Team Head Coach Conor McCarthy said; “We are delighted to have Oran here at Kerry FC. He’s a sort of box-to-box midfielder who played his underage football with Cork and also has a lot of international experience. A really good fella and hungry to go and play. He will add great depth into our midfield as well, another body means more competition within the squad.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

By Ivan Hurley

WELL, it may be mid-summer, but there is almost an autumn feel to the weather in the Kingdom this week. But the weather is sure to be a damn sight better than it was back in February when these sides last met.

Five goals, a red card, thunder, lightning, snow, hail, high winds and torrential rain in a game that lasted over 120 minutes. One would hope that sort of drama won’t ensue on Friday night.

Kerry come into this one on a mixed run of form. In the last 8 games, Kerry are unbeaten in 4 home matches (3 wins, 1 draw) but have been beaten in the last 4 away matches.

Continued below…

Football can be a funny game but when you look at the overall picture, Kerry’s home form must be taken into account when previewing current matches in Tralee.

Beaten by one goal in each of the last 4 away matches does put a sting in the good news story but Kerry will be keen to add another 3 points to the table on Friday night.

But Bray Wanderers have been a stickler for the Kingdom to date. Six previous meetings all ending in defeat for the league newcomers over the last 19 months will leave Conor McCarthy’s charges wanting to get some sort of revenge on the Seagulls.

Bray come into the game in a mixed run of form themselves. Two straight defeats against top-of-the-table Cork City and bottom-of-the-table Longford Town tells you all you need to know about the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division season.

Wanderers sit 5th in the table on 31 points, 12 ahead of Kerry who are in 9th. A closed gap of 9 points to that final play off place would be very much welcomed by the Kerry FC manager

The last time these sides met in Mounthawk Park, 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 the media earlier this week, First Team Head Coach Conor McCarthy issued no fresh injury concerns for the Kingdom ahead of this one.

Valerii Dolia is a step closer to his return but will be a couple of weeks away from a return to the matchday 20. Head Coach Conor McCarthy and forward Kennedy Amechi begin 3 match suspensions following red cards after last Thursday’-s game against Finn Harps.

“They (Bray) are going very well,” said Conor McCarthy. “Obviously, with Ian Ryan’s departure, I thought they might struggle a bit because they were on a good spell when Ian stepped away. But Lorcan has gone in there and seems to have continued that along and maybe even improved things further.”

“So I think they are doing really well at the moment, they have some really good players. Every time we’ve played them we’ve had a good competitive game so it’s important that we use Mounthawk Park to our advantage. When we do play at home we seem to make it very difficult for teams to come down here so we need to use that and give it a right go for the 90+ minutes and give a performance that will give us a chance to get a good result.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ivan Hurley reports on last night’s game between Kerry FC and Finn Harps at Ballybofey…

Finn Harps 1-0 Kerry FC

Kerry FC made the 820km round trip to Ballybofey on Thursday night to face 5th-placed Finn Harps.

A long journey on the best of days, but made all the tougher being on a Thursday night compared to the regular Friday night slot. Due to work commitments for players, a somewhat depleted squad made the journey to the North West but nonetheless, put up a stiff fight against the hosts.

It was a very evening open quarter in the summer sunshine in Donegal. Sean McGrath had an outside-of-the-box effort saved by Oliver-Hiemer in the Harps goal before Ryan Kelliher’s overhead effort went wide of the mark.

Continued below…

Kerry will be thankful to goalkeeper Aaron O’Sullivan who made some super saves throughout the game. The first on 17 minutes when Harps played a lovely through ball into Ferry, but Aaron was down well to his right after rushing off his line. A brave save by the Killarney man.

Kerry had the first real effort that the crowd thought was in. Ronan Teahan lined up a shot from about 30 yards and with the keeper beaten, the ball rattled the right-hand post and away. Agonisingly close to the visitors taking the lead after 21 minutes.

O’Sullivan was once again called into play and saved another big shot from Ferry on the half-hour mark. But in the 36th minute, Harps took the lead through Patton.

The goal came from a Kerry FC ball into the box which was defended well. The hosts counter-attacked through 4 or 5 different players before Patton slotted the ball home to give the hosts a 1-0 lead at the break.

Continued below…

The majority of the second half was played out in a similar vein to the first. Aaron O’Sullivan pulled off some brilliant saves to keep Kerry in with a fighting chance of getting back into it with big saves to deny Patton and Edogun’s efforts.

The hosts really should have been 2-0 after 80 minutes. McAteer with the goal at his mercy managed to drag the ball to the wrong side of the far post to the agony of the home support.

But in an end-to-end encounter, Daniel Okwute had a chance to level up the scoring with just minutes on the clock, but he dragged his effort to the right of the post and wide.

Some unsavoury scenes ensued after the full-time whistle which saw the referee flash three red cards. Conor McCarthy and Kennedy Amechi being shown straight reds along with a Finn Harps coach McHugh.

So it was to be a defeat for Kerry on the road by the smallest of margins. Next up, Kerry entertain Bray Wanderers in Mounthawk Park next Friday night.

FINN HARPS: Tim Hiemer, Jamie Watson, Noe Baba, Matt Makinson, Kevin Jordan, Gavin McAteer, Ryan Rainey, Sean Patton, Tony McNamee, Patrick Ferry, Success Edogun. Subs: Stephen Doherty for Jordan (73), Conor Tourish for McAteer (90), Max Hutchison for McNamee (90), Max Johnston for Ferry (90)

KERRY FC: Aaron O’Sullivan, Samuel Aladesanusi, Andy Spain, Ethan Kos, Sean O’Connell, Ronan Teahan, Daire McCarthy, Sean McGrath, Kennedy Amechi, Ryan Kelliher, Nathan Gleeson. Subs: Daniel Okwute for Amechi (ht), Cian Brosnan for Gleeson (71), Graham O’Reilly for Teahan (77)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

By Ivan Hurley

The Kingdom make the 828km round trip to Ballybofey in County Donegal tomorrow (Thursday) to take on Finn Harps on Matchday 23 of the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division season.

It will just be the second time Kerry FC will play a league match on a Thursday night, given the start of the Euro 2024 Quarter Finals, all SSE Airtricity League of Ireland matches this week are once again pushed forward to the Thursday night slot.

So a near midweek jaunt to the North West will be no easy feat for Conor McCarthy’s side. As the calendars flick to July and no sign of improved weather conditions, a tricky night is once again in store for this young Kerry side.

Continued below…

Casting our minds back to Matchday 6 and the last trip to Ballybofey. A cold night in March was met with downpours of rain in Donegal, but Kerry’s resilience shone through on the night, leaving Finn Park with a well-earned point and clean sheet after a somewhat uninspiring 0-0 draw.

But that didn’t dampen the spirits of the Kerry supporters who made the trip North, who knew a point on the road here is well earned.

In the reverse fixture in Mounthawk Park just a few weeks ago, it was a Kerry performance to remember as goals from the in-form Ryan Kelliher and former Harps man Daniel Okwute meant the Kerry supporters had entered uncharted waters, back-to-back home wins for the Kingdom for the very first time and it must be said, a win in convincing circumstances for Kerry FC.

A point last time out has Kerry on 19 points for the season and 5 clear of basement side Longford Town. Although the playoff places do seem out of reach, Kerry do sit just 12 points behind tonight’s opponents Finn Harps who are 5th and in the final play-off spot at this juncture.

But it’s Kerry’s form on the road that needs improving as the season ticks into the final countdown phase. No win away from home and just 4 points on the road compared to the 15 in Mounthawk Park will need to change in the coming weeks if Kerry are to climb up the table.

The form table suggests Kerry are in 5th at the moment with 2 wins, 2 losses and a draw in the last five games. A side coming into a bit of form. But with just one home game in the next 6 matches, the away form needs to improve to keep some pressure on those ahead of the Kingdom on the table.

Two of Kerry FC’s main men in 2024 played for the Donegal side in 2023. Winger Daniel Okwute played for Harps on loan from Stockport County for the opening months of last season and even faced his home town club Kerry twice while playing for Finn Harps before he secured a move home in July last year.

Kerry’s shot-stopper Antonio Tuta also played for Finn Harps last term. The Croatian made the move to Ireland in August and produced some fine saves to deny Kerry a point on our last trip to Ballybofey.

Tuta signed for Kerry in the winter transfer window and quickly became the Kingdom’s number 1 between the sticks.

Thankfully, no fresh injury concerns have been reported by the management team ahead of this one. Valerii Dolia picked up another foot injury in the warm-up against Longford Town a couple of weeks ago and remains unavailable.

Croatian keeper Antonio Tuta has returned from a family wedding at home and is in contention. Kevin Williams is suspended for this one after receiving two yellows against Wexford FC last Friday night

“I’ve said it to the boys during the week, we tend to play well in Ballybofey but it’s still a tricky one when you go up there,” said James Sugrue.

“I’ve played there a few times myself, it’s a very hostile, tough place to go and pick up points. So when you get up there, they are going to be aggressive, it’s always going to be tough. But we are going up there to get the whole 3 points. If we can pick up where we left off from on Friday night and go there with that confidence and belief, I think we have a good chance up there”.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Ivan Hurley reports on last night’s Airtricity League Of Ireland Division One game at Mounthawk Park last night…

Kerry FC 1-1 Wexford FC

Kerry were back in Mounthawk Park following the summer recess in the League of Ireland season, welcoming the South-Easterners to a wet and windy Tralee on one of the final June nights of the year.

Unseasonable weather aside, a large Kerry contingent packed into Mounthawk Park to see an inform Kerry FC side look to build on 3 wins in a row in their home ground over recent weeks.

In a fiery encounter that produced a number of cards, it could have been anyone’s guess as to where the 3 points were headed in the opening stages. Thomas Oluwa should have had the hosts 1-0 up inside the opening 120 seconds.

Continued below…

A looping ball over the top of the defence was met by the onrushing attacker, the woodwork coming to Kerry’s rescue early on as his shot whacked the base of the upright.

It took Kerry a number of minutes to settle into the game and could have gone in front after 10 minutes. A lovely weighted free kick by Sean O’Connell was met by the head of Ryan Kelliher at the back post but he nodded it just wide of Moody’s left-hand post.

A number of half chances for both sides continued the half in the same vein. A Nathan Gleeson cross on 20 minutes was nearly met by an onrushing Kennedy Amechi, but the ball was just behind him on this occasion.

Headers from Ethan Boyle and Kian Corbally came close for the visitors, keeping Kerry honest throughout the opening half. One of the last chances of the half once again fell to Amechi. He hit a low driving shot at Moody who saved well.

Continued below…

The rebound fell to Kelliher whose shot was deflected behind for a corner. So the sides went in scoreless at the break, leaving supporters scratching their heads as to how nobody managed to find the breakthrough in the opening 45.

But fans didn’t have long to wait for the opening goal of the night. McCarthy was dispossessed in the middle of the park allowing Mickie Rowe time to look up.

He played a neat pass down the wing to Oluwa who used all his pace to shrug off Kos and score a well-worked goal for the side pushing for a playoff spot. O’Sullivan got down well but could do nothing in a one-on-one situation.

But Kerry responded well to going one behind. Amechi came close with a speculative effort from 30 yards. Moody was at full stretch but the ball agonisingly went just to the wrong side of the far post. In an end-to-end encounter, Ethan Boyle came close moments later, O’Sullivan gathering his tame effort at the near post.

It’s hard to know how Kerry didn’t equalise in the 60th minute. Some pinball in the box and last-gasp defending from Wexford as they somehow managed to keep the ball out of the net.

The referee waved away any potential handball calls from the Kerry players, booking Kevin Williams in the process for his appeals.

Just 10 minutes later, William’s was heading for an early shower as a tangle in the middle of the park with Oluwa saw the right back pick up a second yellow. An uphill task for Kerry to salvage a point with 20 minutes to go.

But to be fair to the Kingdom, they looked the most likely to score following the red card. Kelliher came close on the 75th minute, his shot was dragged just wide of the post while 3 minutes later, Okwute’s shot across goal just needed someone to tap it home at the back post.

A mix up at the back between Andy Spain and Aaron O’Sullivan led to Dobbs being in one-on-one but the Wexford attacker dragged his effort just wide of the mark.

Up the other end, Daniel Okwute did well to find himself in a one-on-one situation of his own but Moody did really well to save with his outstretched legs.

As the 4th Official indicated 7 additional minutes, hopes of a result were beginning to fade for the home faithful. But cometh the hour, cometh the man. Okwute found himself in possession on the left-hand side and his low cross was belted home by Ryan Kelliher, the Killarney man netting his 4th goal in 3 games for Kerry.

So a dramatic end sees Kerry share the spoils with 10 men against a Wexford side who left Mounthawk Park thinking ‘what if’.

The second of two Thursday night fixtures in 2024 sees the Kingdom make the long journey to the North West to take on Finn Harps in county Donegal, with kick-off at 19:45.

KERRY FC: Aaron O’Sullivan, Kevin Williams, Andy Spain, Ethan Kos, Seán O’Connell, Ronan Teahan, Dáire McCarthy, Seán McGrath, Nathan Gleeson, Ryan Kelliher, Kennedy Amechi Subs: Daniel Okwute for N Gleeson, 60, Samuel Aladesansui for S McGrath, 77, Cian Brosnan for S O’Connell, 83

WEXFORD FC: Alex Moody, Reece Webb, Carl Lennox, Seán McHale, James Crawford, Kian Corbally, Ethan Boyle, Darragh Levingston, Mikie Rowe, Thomas Oluwa, Cian Curtis Subs: Aaron Dobbs for C Curtis, 59, Mark Hanratty for K Corbally, 76, Luka Lovic for M Rowe, 76, Aaron Robinson for T Oluwa, 81

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

By Ivan Hurley

The Kingdom are back in action tomorrow evening in Mounthawk Park as the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division rumbles back into action after a well-deserved summer recess.

Wexford FC are the visitors to Mounthawk Park for Matchday 22 and there is a 19:45 kick-off for this one.

The break was cut short for Kerry FC who were back in action on Monday evening. A Munster Senior Cup Final defeat for McCarthy’s charges will be a tough one to bounce back from, but it almost felt like bonus territory for the Kingdom who reached the final in their first year in the competition.

Continued below…

No cup on this occasion, but plenty of experience was gained by the players and supporters in Turners Cross.

So it’s a return to league action tomorrow evening and a return home for Kerry FC who have been fruitful of late in Tralee. 3 wins in the last 3 at home for Kerry have seen the kingdom reach 18 points in the league and in a much stronger position than this time last year.

Wins against Finn Harps, Treaty United and Longford Town have given the home crowd plenty to cheer about in recent weeks and Kerry sits 6th on the home form table in the league.

So it’s the South Easterners coming to town on Friday with a point to prove, having left Mounthawk Park last time out with just a point.

A poor run of form has seen the Wexicans winless since Kerry travelled to Ferrycarrig Park on the 17th of May, managing just two draws in that time.

You’d have to go back to April to find Wexford’s last victory on the road. But the ability to eke out results has been key to Wexford’s success in 2024 as they sit just 4 points off the playoff spots with a game in hand.

Four home wins for Kerry FC in 2024 has been a club-record return. In fact, 14 of Kerry’s 18 points to date have been secured in Mounthawk Park. Conor McCarthy and his squad have made the Tralee venue a difficult place to come and secure points.

Conor McCarthy will have to access some members of the panel ahead of this one. We saw Daniel Okwute exit the Munster Senior Cup Final at the interval and his condition is unknown.

Valerii Dolia also remains a doubt following his injury in the warm-up against Longford Town. Kennedy Amechi returned to action with 45 minutes on Monday night.

“No matter what form Wexford are in, they are always a tough team to take on, both at home and away,” said Conor McCarthy. “I’m under no illusions about the challenge we face but we’ve worked hard on the training pitch and if we play to our strengths we have another great chance of a result here.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

A report from Kerry FC’s media team on the Munster Senior Cup Final at Turners Cross last night…

KERRY FC 1-2 WATERFORD FC

Kerry FC were back in action after a week off and returned to Turners Cross for the second time this season as they came to Cork for the Munster Senior Cup Final against Waterford FC.

It’s the historic first-ever Final at senior level for Kerry FC and the fans from the Kingdom came out in numbers to support the boys.

The last time Kerry FC played Waterford FC was a draw in the penultimate game of the 2023 season. The two sides meet for the first time since Waterford’s promotion to the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division by beating Cork City in Tallaght Stadium at the end of the playoff campaign.

Continued below…

Waterford have had a great return to the Premier Division and are pushing for European qualification. A win in the Munster Senior Cup could set up the end of a brilliant year for the Deise County.

Gbemi Arubi was close to putting Waterford in the lead after just six minutes. A loose ball fell kindly for him and an acrobatic effort hit just off the top of the crossbar. Aaron O’Sullivan was close to getting a hand to the chance but luckily enough for him the crossbar came to his aid.

Kerry was showing a slight bit of nervousness with it being their first final as there was confusion between Ethan Kos and Andy Spain trying to clear the ball in the six-yard box. Both players hit the ball off of each other in an attempt to clear it away.

The ball eventually trickled out for a corner and was dealt with in the end in a moment of worry for the Kerry FC defence.

Kerry started to settle well into the game. They had stopped Waterford from getting any more clear-cut chances but were not really troubling the opposition’s goal. The time was passing away in the first half and the real positive was the fact that they were competing with Waterford more in the middle of the pitch.

Kerry FC looked like they were about to head in at the half level but an unfortunate error from Ethan Kos put Waterford ahead with four minutes before the interval.

Continued below…

Kos tried to play the ball back to O’Sullivan in goal but the pass was just short and Connor Evans pounced on the chance to finish well passed O’Sullivan and put Waterford FC a goal ahead at halftime.

Ethan has been excellent since his return to the starting eleven and luckily he was brilliant for the rest of the game and put a real uncharacteristic error out of his head straight away. The half ended with Waterford in front and Kerry FC had a big task to come back out for the second half and put it right.

If the chances were to be created, it was obvious Kerry would start flowing as we have seen over the past few weeks, but an early equaliser was needed.

Two minutes after the break Waterford had the chance to double their lead but a great save from Aaron O’Sullivan denied the situation from getting even deeper for Kerr.

Four minutes after the save, Kerry found themselves on level terms thanks to another goal from Ryan Kelliher. Nathan Gleeson gave a superb low-driven delivery into the area and Kelliher was there as the ball flew past everyone in the area to get on the end of the cross and get Kerry level.

Kerry then had another chance to take the lead themselves as Kevin Williams played a great pass across the box and just missed Kelliher at the back post. If Kelliher had been on the end of it Kerry FC would have turned the game around with two identical goals.

Nine minutes after the opportunity, Waterford regained their lead with a long-range effort from Calum Costello. He brought the ball forward a few yards and was not closed down.

He took a speculative effort from distance and the ball went straight into the bottom left corner. Cian Brosnan came on and had a chance a couple minutes after entering the game but it was at a tight angle and went well wide in the end.

That would be the last chance of the evening with Waterford winning the Munster Senior Cup for the sixteenth time in the club’s history.

It was a difficult result for a young Kerry FC team but there is no question that they will look to get back to another cup final soon. They return to league action on Friday night as they take on Wexford FC in Mounthawk Park with Kerry FC looking to make it four wins in a row at home.

Kerry FC Team: 30. Aaron O’Sullivan, 15. Kevin Williams, 6. Ethan Kos, 5. Andy Spain (C), 3. Sean O’Connell, 8. Ronan Teahan, 7. Sean McGrath, 21. Daire McCarthy, 11. Daniel Okwute, 9. Ryan Kelliher (Goal ‘51), 13. Nathan Gleeson.

Subs: Darragh Foley, Jack Kavanagh, Samuel Aladesanusi, Graham O’Reilly, Kennedy Amechi, Victor Udeze, Cian Brosnan.

Waterford FC Team: 1. Matthew Connor, 3. Ryan Burke (C), 6. Mikey Carroll, 7. Calum Costello (Goal ‘80), 8. Basit Ishola, 14. Connor Evans (Goal ‘41), 22. Gbemi Arubi, 26. Adam Queally, 34. Ronan Mansfield, 36. Joseph Forde, 77. Kacper, Skwierczynski.

Subs: Oisin Aldred, Adam Coyne, Sean Keane, Calum Flynn, Dylan Warren, Zak O’Sullivan, Anthony Adenopo.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Ivan Hurley previews the Munster Senior Cup Final which takes place at Turners Cross in Cork on Monday night…

SOME 16 months after Kerry Football Club kicked their first football, the club have the chance to add the first piece of silverware to the Mounthawk Park trophy cabinet tonight.

2024 was the first chance Kerry FC had to compete in the provincial tournament. A competition steeped in history and heritage, one that was held in high regard by the Kerry faithful.

The 2023 season came about too quickly for the League of Ireland new boys to compete in the competition, given the license was granted just 3 months out to the start of the First Division campaign.

Continued below…

So, 2024 was to be a new era for the Kingdom and just 12 days into the new year, Kerry FC made their debut in the competition, welcoming Avondale United of the Munster Senior League to a bitterly cold Mounthawk Park where the Christmas lights had barely been safely restored to the attic.

It took until the 77th minute for Kerry to find the breakthrough. Daniel Okwute’s low drive into the bottom left corner was all that separated the sides but Kerry marched on to the quarter-final.

A tough quarter-final draw for Kerry FC saw the league newcomers face the back-to-back Munster Senior Cup Champions Cobh Ramblers on the February Bank Holiday Monday.

A cross from Daniel Okwute in the 68th minute was tucked home by Victor Udeze on his debut and was enough for the Kingdom to book their place in the competition’s semi-final in Kerry’s debut year in the tournament.

Continued below…

So we reach the semi-final stage and just the small task of hosting the SSE Airtricity First Division leaders Treaty United for a place in the showpiece final. It was to be the second meeting of the sides in four days, Treaty winning in the league on the Friday previous to stay top.

But Kerry were to take the Munster Senior Cup spoils on a wet Monday night in Mounthawk Park. In a game that Kerry looked line winning from the outset, they went in 3-1 up at the interval thanks to goals from Ronan Teahan and a Sean McGrath double.

Kerry started the second period strong and Daniel Okwute’s goal early in the half had the Kerry supporters in dreamland as Kerry’s first senior final was on the horizon.

SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division side Waterford FC are Kerry’s opponents in the showpiece that kicks off at 7:30pm in the home of the Munster FA, Turners Cross.

The Deise are flying high since their promotion to the top tier in 2024, sitting 4th in the league and level on points with Shamrock Rovers at the midway point.

Kerry have faced Waterford four times already in the club’s short history, all in the 2023 SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division season, where the kingdom only managed to pick up a single point against the Munster side.

This will be Kerry FC’s first-ever cup tie played away from Mounthawk Park. In all three MSC games to date, the kingdom were drawn at home while in 2023, Ringmahon Rangers and Drogheda United both came to Mounthawk Park in the Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup.

Valerii Dolia and Kennedy Amechi are the two injury worries ahead of the Munster Senior Cup Final for Kerry FC this weekend.

Dolia limped off during the warm-up last time out against Longford Town and was due to go for a scan early this week. More positive news from Kennedy Amechi, who is likely to return for the fixture. Antonio Tuta is also absent for the game.

“Our full focus is on the Cup Final now, that might be the boring answer but that’s the way we’ve been since January,” said Coach Conor McCarthy.

“We go out to try and win every game, be it a pre-season friendly or a cup final, we go there to win. Waterford is the next game in front of us, we go out and try to win, simple as that. The fans will be crucial as ever, the club have put on a supporters bus which is great, the new bypass to Cork has cut down the journey time, we need everyone there to get behind us on Monday night.”

James Sugrue said;  “It’s been a fantastic competition for us to be in. It was great in the early stages of the season, it got confidence into fellas from an early on which is great. We treated it with respect and the reward for that now is playing Waterford in the final in Turners Cross. It’s a big game for us, obviously, we haven’t been in this sort of situation before, but I think that element of the sort of fear factor of the whole thing. Just go out and play for 90 minutes and we will see where we are then.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………