Match Report – Kerry FC v Athlone Town

REPORT: SSE AIRTRICITY MEN’S FIRST DIVISION

MATCHDAY 36: KERRY FC 2-0 ATHLONE TOWN

Friday night saw the last SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division action of the 2024 season as Kerry FC took on Athlone Town in Mounthawk Park. After last week’s results it was confirmed that Kerry FC would finish bottom of the league table, whereas elsewhere, Athlone Town secured themselves a spot in the playoff places. 

A fantastic start to the season from Kerry FC saw the performances slip away from them at the beginning of the Summer with their last league win coming on the thirteenth of June. Athlone on the other hand had a chance to finish second in the league table if results could go their way on the evening. 

A return to Mounthawk Park came for two former Kerry FC players on the evening with Lee Axworthy and Leo Gaxha in the squad to face their former team in Tralee. Both players have had successful seasons at Athlone and would hope to come away from their former stomping ground with a win. For Kerry FC it was important to finish the season on a high note and put in a good performance for the home faithful to round out the season.

First Half
The game started quickly in Kerry FC’s favour by dominating possession in the opening few minutes. They got their reward in spectacular fashion in the ninth minute thanks to Cian Brosnan. Sean McGrath won a free kick about twenty-five yards out for a push in the back and Brosnan stepped up and struck the ball with pure venom, power and precision to direct the effort into the top left corner giving the hosts a dream start.

It was all Kerry at this point and they had some fantastic chances to put themselves two goals ahead. Finn Barrett took a corner from the left side and nearly managed to bend it into the far corner. Unfortunately the set piece was slightly too high and went wide by hitting the roof of Enda Minogue’s goal.

Sean McGrath was the latest to have an effort on goal and another Cian Brosnan free kick went over the bar this time. The opening half an hour from Kerry FC was splendid to watch. Fluid football which has slightly been lacking over the past few weeks. It was shown in abundance on the evening in a packed out Mounthawk Park.

Five minutes before halftime, Athlone were under more pressure as Kennedy Amechi and Cian Barrett both had goal bound opportunities cleared off of the line. Athlone were finding it tough to create many chances of their own, but full credit went to Kerry FC for a truly dominant first half display.

Second Half
Kerry seemed to have a knack for scoring after the start as they doubled their lead just five minutes after the restart of the second half. A great over the top pass from Finn Barrett found Ronan Teahan on the right wing, a decent bit of trickery from Teahan found Sean McGrath inside the area who played in Amechi first time who finished the ball into the bottom left corner. The first goal displayed individual ability, whereas the second showed great team work to find Kerry FC’s second goal of the night.

It was seven minutes later that Athlone Town found their first big chance of the evening. Gideon Tetteh took on a shot from a tough angle outside the area which was sure to go into the top right corner, but a stupendous save from Antonio Tuta kept Kerry FC to a two goal lead.

With just a couple of minutes remaining, Tuta was called into action after a great piece of individual skill from Brian Torre opened up a shot on the volley just inside the area. Once again Tuta was on hand to ensure he kept his clean sheet. 

The game finished in a convincing 2-0 win for Kerry FC and even though the side had gone without a league win since the thirteenth of June, it was brilliant to finish off the season with a win at home in front of the Mounthawk Park faithful.