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.

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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.

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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.”

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