Ivan Hurley previews Friday night’s game where Kerry FC travel to the midlands to face Athlone Town…
Ivan Hurley previews Friday night’s game where Kerry FC travel to the midlands to face Athlone Town…The race for the playoff places enters its final five matches this weekend as matchday 32 has the Kingdom on the road to Lissywollen to face an in-form Athlone Town side who have one eye on the final playoff place that Kerry hold.
There was a bump on the road for Colin Healy’s side last Friday night, going down by the narrowest of margins to Bray Wanderers, who took the spoils in Mounthawk Park last Friday night.
Kerry remain in 5th after the weekend, as Treaty defeated Longford on Saturday night. But it’s reaction time for the Kingdom now and with 15 points still on offer, there are sure to be plenty of ups and downs between now and the season end in mid October.
Continued below…
Ties between Athlone and Kerry always through out even contests, which can be seen by the sheer amount of draws between the sides over the last 4 seasons.
Athlone took the honours in Mounthawk Park by a goal to nil in the early stages of the season, before sharing a stalemate in Lissywollen a couple of weeks later.
Ryan Perez scored the only goal in a 1-0 Kerry win when the sides last met on Matchday 19 in June. Barring just two occasions, 14 of the 16 meetings between the sides have either ended all square or a side won by just single goal.
The Athlone Town Stadium has been a relatively happy hunting ground for the Kingdom over the years.
Kerry secured their first-ever League of Ireland victory there in 2025, and have lost just once on the road in Athlone in the past, a stat Colin Healy will be looking to continue as the season reaches its crescendo.
Kerry have 3 away ties remaining, starting in Athlone tomorrow before trips to Ballybofey and to Cobh, while Wexford and Cork City are the final visitors to Tralee in the regular season.
Wins are crucial, with every game, in effect, a ‘six’ pointer. The chasers will become the chased, and there are still 7 teams searching for 4 available spots in the end-of-season promotion showdown. Buckle in.
Kerry FC’s first-ever win in the League of Ireland was against Athlone away in Lissywollen all the way back in 2023.
It’s also the fixture that has produced the least amount of goals involving the Kingdom in 2026, with just two goals scored in the 3 meetings this season so far. In fact, there have been 5 draws in Kerry’s 7 trips to Lissywollen since 2023.
It’s as you were for Colin Healy on the injury front ahead of the trip to Athlone tomorrow night. Niall Brookwell is suspended for the game, while Daniel Okwute, Finn Barrett, Luke Doolan and Daniel Okwute all remain absent for the Kingdom
Colin Healy said; “At the moment we are sitting in 5th, we are in the playoff positions, and it’s up to us to make sure that we stay there. We need good performances from all the players and the team in general. It’s going to be a tough game in Athlone; they are doing really well at the moment. But listen, we have to be ready for it. It’s the business end of the year, and we are probably where we want to be at this time of the season, and it’s up to us in the final five games as to where we will finish.”
