REPORT: SSE AIRTRICITY MENS FIRST DIVISION ROUND 36
Bray Wanderers 5-1 Kerry FC
Kerry FC embarked on their final game of the 2025 SSE Airtricity League of Ireland First Division season on Friday night as they took on Bray Wanderers in the Carlisle Grounds. After a long season of forty-five games between Friendlies, Munster Senior Cup, FAI Cup and in the League, the 2025 season has finally come to an end.
For Kerry FC, this was their second away game in the week as they travelled to Donegal and faced Finn Harps on Monday. A 1-1 draw was the result in a game where Kerry FC would have been disappointed not to have come away with the three points, as they enjoyed the majority of possession and created the better chances in the game.
For Bray Wanderers, they sat third in the table before the game with their playoff position guaranteed. They had won just two games since the fifth of September and wanted to finish their campaign on a high note before hoping to get into the Premier Division via the playoffs.
A good crowd of Kerry FC supporters made the journey to the seaside and hoped for a good result to finish the 2025 campaign.
First Half
The hosts made a brighter start and forced the first opening in the fourth minute, with a dangerous corner delivery headed over the bar. That early pressure paid off just two minutes later when Billy O’Neill opened the scoring. The Bray attacker was quickest to react in the box, slotting home from close range to make it 1–0 and set the tone for the evening.
Bray continued to dominate possession, with Cian Doyle firing wide from outside the box in the fifteenth minute. Kerry tried to respond and began to grow into the game around the seventeenth minute, stringing together a promising move that ended in a half-chance, an encouraging sign despite the early setback.
Bray’s creative spark came through Richard Ferizaj, who tested Kerry goalkeeper Darragh Foley in the 22nd minute. Ferizaj’s curling effort looked destined for the top corner, but Foley produced an excellent save, stretching across goal to tip the ball away for a corner. It was a crucial stop that kept Kerry in the contest.
Kerry sought to respond from set pieces of their own. In the twenty-sixth minute, Oran Crowe swung in a dangerous free kick that Bray initially cleared, but the ball fell to Sean McGrath, whose follow-up cross caused further problems before being cleared again by the Bray defence. The visitors were starting to settle, but they struggled to create clear chances in the final third.
As Kerry pushed forward, Arran Healy picked up a yellow card in the twenty-ninth minute, halting a Bray counterattack. In the fortieth minute, Billy O’Neill struck again, finishing confidently to make it 2–0. It was a composed finish that highlighted his clinical edge in front of goal and gave Bray a comfortable cushion heading into halftime.
Kerry tried to find a response before the interval, with Oran Crowe seeing two shots blocked in quick succession in the forty-third minute. Despite their effort, the Kingdom went into the break two goals down, trailing 2–0 after a difficult first 45 minutes.
Second Half
Colin Healy made an immediate triple substitution at halftime, introducing Luke Doolan, Chris McQueen, and Sean O’Connell for Finn Barrett, Luke Palmer, and Samuel Aladesanusi in a bid to spark a turnaround. However, any hopes of a comeback were dashed within minutes of the restart.
Barely a minute into the second half, Bray was awarded a penalty after a foul inside the box. Up stepped Billy O’Neill, who confidently completed his hat-trick in the forty-seventh minute to make it 3–0.
Kerry’s captain, Sean McGrath, tried to rally his side with a long-range effort two minutes later, but his shot dragged wide. Moments later, Foley once again came to Kerry’s rescue, producing a fine save from another O’Neill strike in the fifty-first minute. But the reprieve was short-lived. Just a minute later, O’Neill grabbed his fourth goal of the game, tucking home to extend Bray’s advantage to 4–0.
The one-way traffic continued, and in the fifty-eighth minute, Bray’s captain Cian Doyle added a fifth, finishing calmly after a slick move through midfield. At 5–0, the game was firmly out of Kerry’s reach.
In a strange twist, Bray were reduced to ten men just three minutes later when O’Neill, who had scored four goals, was shown a straight red card in the sixty-first minute for words said to referee Alan Patchell. That gave Kerry a numerical advantage for the final half hour. Healy made further changes, bringing on Carl Mujaguzi for Healy and later Cian Brosnan for Daniel O’Connor, as the visitors sought a way back into the game.
Kerry’s substitutes injected fresh energy into the side. Luke Doolan went close in the seventy-fourth minute, sending a shot just over the crossbar, before a dangerous low cross moments later was smothered by Bray goalkeeper Stephen McGuinness. Despite being down a man, Bray continued to defend solidly, while Kerry searched for a consolation.
Bray’s Matthew Britton received a booking in the seventy-eighth minute, as Kerry continued to push forward. Their persistence finally paid off in the eighty-fourth minute when Chris McQueen, one of the halftime substitutes, pulled one back for Kerry. A well-delivered corner from Oran Crowe found McQueen in the box, and he rose highest to head home and make it 5–1, giving the travelling supporters something to cheer.
The closing minutes were lively, with Carl Mujaguzi picking up a yellow card in the eighty-eighth minute and Alain Kizenga booked shortly after. Four minutes of stoppage time were added, but there were no further goals as referee Alan Patchell brought proceedings to a close.
Although it was not the ending to the season Kerry FC would have liked, it had been a season full of memorable moments. Everyone in the club won’t forget our trips and exciting matches in the cup, along with some fantastic league performances throughout the year. Although the 2025 season comes to a close, the 2026 season won’t be long coming and everyone is certainly looking forward to it!
Bray Wanderers Team: 25. Stephen Mc Guinness, 8. Rhys Bartley, 10. Guillermo Almirall, 12. Jamie Duggan, 16. Paul Murphy, 17. Cian Doyle (C) (GOAL ‘58), 19. Billy O’Neill (GOAL ‘6, ‘40, ‘48, ‘52), 20. Alain Kizenga, 30. Benjamin Fagbemi, 32. Richard Ferizaj, 34. Matthew Britton.
Subs: Edvinas Jakas, Harvey Warren, Conor Knight, Jack Lawless, Rhys Knight, Phillip Cooney, Flynn Ryan, Sean Brennan, Cristiano Bramley.
Kerry FC Team: 40 Darragh Foley, 4. Oran Crowe, 7. Sean McGrath (C), 8. Ronan Teahan, 18. Samuel Aladesanusi, 19. Daniel O’Connor, 21. Luke Palmer, 23. Finn Barrett, 28. Niall Brookwell, 29. Ewan Lee, 35. Arran Healy.
Subs: Sean O’Connell, Christopher McQueen (GOAL ‘84), Carl Mujaguzi, Daniel Okwute, Robert Cleary, Kevin Williams, Cian Brosnan, Ryan Perez, Luke Doolan.