Ivan Hurley previews the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division Playoff Semi-Final First Leg between Kerry FC and Bray Wanderers at Mounthawk Park on Saturday night…
Ivan Hurley previews the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division Playoff Semi-Final First Leg between Kerry FC and Bray Wanderers at Mounthawk Park on Saturday night…“We are where we wanted to be”…the words of Ballyduff native and Kerry captain Sean McGrath this week, speaking to the media on Tuesday in what is a historic week for the club who compete in the end-of-season playoffs for the very first time this weekend.
After all the permutation talk 7 days ago, Kerry, as they have done over the last 4 games, went out and got the job done themselves on a nervy night in the county capital last Friday evening.
Trailing 0-1 to the champions, Kerry once again showed grit and determination to get back into the tie and found the crucial leveller through Vince Borden, a goal which sent this 2026 squad directly into the history books.
Continued below…
An incredible second half of the league campaign from Colin Healy’s side, which saw them gather 32 points from 18 games (averaging 2 points a game) since the turn of the season in July. Kerry were a lowly 9th place after the opening 18, with just 16 points on the board.
But it has been a tale of two halves this year, and a really impressive run-in when backs were to the wall saw Kerry gather 10 of a possible 12 points over the final 4 games where results mattered the most. Men for a big occasion?
And so it’s off to the playoffs for the very first time for this young side, competing in just the county’s 4th season at League of Ireland level. A far cry from the 10 points earned in 2023, a draw needed away in Cobh of the final game of the season to get to double figures in our inaugural campaign.
The club has seen plenty of highs and lows since: an incredible cup run to the semi-final and national television coverage, and now a spot in the top 5, which sees the season extended for another couple of weeks.
But now Kerry need to add to the new chapter being written at the end of the 2026 season and will want to progress through the playoff series over the next couple of weeks.
It’s a difficult route to top-tier football; there is no doubting it, but after a record-breaking year, Kerry will head into the playoffs with a pep in their step, and some will say it’s now bonus territory for the men from the South West.
Bray Wanderers stand in Kerry’s way at the opening hurdle of a potential 4 tie run to top-tier football. Bray themselves are playoff specialists and have carved their route through to the final over the last number of years as well.
They’ve had time to rest players over the last number of weeks, with a spot in the playoffs well secured heading down the home stretch, where Kerry were fighting for every point available until the very end.
Results between the sides have been somewhat peculiar in 2026. Kerry enjoyed a first-ever win in the Carlisle Grounds earlier in the summer, a four-nil reversal nonetheless, an impressive outing in the black and gold for Kerry.
Bray won the last meeting between the sides in Tralee by a single goal to nil in a tight encounter.
It’s fair to say Bray have enjoyed the upper hand in this fixture over the four years, but Kerry have definitely tightened the gap in terms of results, and it will take a huge effort over 180 minutes in the space of 3 days for the Kingdom to prevail and meet either UCD or Longford Town in the final.
Mounthawk Park is sold out for almost a week; it is sure to be a fantastic atmosphere. Storm Austen is due to blow through Kerry this weekend; here’s hoping he can aid the side in Green and Gold tomorrow evening.
It’s as you were on the injury front for Kerry FC, as Colin Healy reports a fairly fresh bill of health ahead of the visit of Bray Wanderers to Mounthawk Park tomorrow night.
Recent injury setbacks to Daniel Okwute and Simon Lüchinger have been resolved, and they were in the squad last Friday night. Finn Barrett will return in the new year while Ryan Kelliher is making good progress from his ACL injury suffered in May.
Colin Healy said: “They knew they were in the playoffs, so have given some younger lads opportunities over the last few weeks. They’ve had a great season, and Paul has done a very good job there. A great side, and it’s been tough against them this year.”
I know we had a good win there as well. And the last game down here was tight as well. So we know it will be tight, but the sold-out home support is big for us, and we know everyone is behind us.”
“The players are really looking forward to it, and we will be ready for the challenge. It’s the makings of a very good game. We don’t fear anybody; I think everyone can see that we’ve got a good, strong squad ourselves.
“The division can be strange at times; anybody can beat anybody. If you put a good run together, you can climb the table, and that’s what we’ve seen ourselves since June. It’s all down to the players; they’ve been fantastic and deserve this chance.”
Sean McGrath said; “We are where we expected to be. I know we had a relatively slow start, but even through that tough period of maybe the first 12 or 13 games, it was poor, but we always thought we could get there and knew there was a run to be put together.”
“We always had that belief as a group. It’s a strong bunch of players, and we knew we were capable of getting into the top 5. We know all about Bray, and they know all about us; we’ve already played them 4 times this season.”
“It’s a tough place to go, but honestly, everywhere in this league is tough to travel to. So we’ve nothing to fear, but we know we will have to perform at our best and even better to get a result across the two legs.”
