REPORT: SSE AIRTRICITY MEN’S FIRST DIVISION
MATCHDAY 9: Kerry FC 3-0 Athlone Town
Kerry FC were back in front of their home support on Friday night as they took on Athlone Town in Mounthawk Park to complete the first quarter of the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division season.
After a difficult trip to Limerick last Friday night and everything that had transpired over the past week or so, a home game is exactly what this group needed as they look to finish the first period of the season on a high note. As for Athlone Town, they have lost their previous three games with defeats coming against Cobh Ramblers away and Finn Harps and Bray Wanderers at home so Athlone also have a difficult period that they would like to get through.
A positive from last week was that star striker Ryan Kelliher was back from injury, he played half an hour in Limerick, and even managed to get a few chances in the process. This week Abel Alabi was also back for selection from his three-game suspension which he picked up last month away to Longford Town in Bishopsgate, but illness kept him out of the matchday 20.
It turned out to be a lovely evening for football in Tralee and the home faithful hoped that would replicate in the performance on the pitch.
FIRST HALF
Kerry FC looked like the side with more to give in the opening ten minutes with the first chance of the game going to Joe Adams whose shot inside the area was saved well by Matthew Connor.
Just two minutes after the opening opportunity of the game, Kerry FC put themselves in front thanks to teenage wonder Luke Palmer. A lovely piece of build-up play by Daniel Okwute saw him switch the ball over to Sean McGrath on the right wing. McGrath swung a beautiful cross into a dangerous area and Palmer was there to head home and put the Kingdom ahead.
Athlone were finding it hard to get into the game in the early stages and their first effort on goal from captain Aaron Connolly was straight at Tim-Oliver Hiemer who kept the shot out with ease.
Just twenty-two minutes after the opener, Palmer was on hand again to double Kerry FC’s lead. A couple of intricate passes and a calamitous Athlone Town defensive display saw Sean McGrath square a pass across the six-yard box for Palmer who finished into an empty net.
Just before the end of the first half, Tim Hiemer was called into action as he made a superb save to keep out Ben Feeney with just a minute left to play in the opening forty-five. A save that needed to be made as a goal at that time for the visitors would have given the away side a big boost of confidence going into the second half.
SECOND HALF
Athlone played better in the early stages of the second half and showed danger signs early on in the half. The first came when Kyle Robinson’s effort just five minutes after the restart was kept out again brilliantly by Tim Hiemer.
Kerry were using their possession effectively and created good chances from the little attacking possession they had in the second half. Niall Brookwell headed over from a Joe Adams free kick, and Daniel Okwute had a shot inside the area saved very well by Matthew Connor.
Gideon Tetteh flashed a good chance in front of goal just wide with nine minutes left to play and it felt like the game was starting to slip away from Athlone Town. If it wasn’t obvious in the early stages of the game it became even more evident at the end that Tim-Oliver Hiemer was having a superb game in between the sticks as another save kept Athlone at bay with seven minutes remaining of normal time.
With three minutes to go Kerry FC wrapped it up and who else was going to score but Ryan Kelliher who hadn’t played at home since the opening night victory over Finn Harps. Daniel Okwute saw Kelliher free inside the area and squared it. Ryan’s first effort seemed to be blocked but he eventually put it over the line to score his first goal of the 2025 season as Kerry FC wrapped up three points at home.
A professional performance from Kerry FC who now turn their focus to Finn Harps as they travel up to Donegal next Friday which forms a double helping of action over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.
KERRY FC TEAM: 1. Tim Oliver-Hiemer, 2. Alex Dunne, 5. Chris McQueen, 18. Samuel Aladesanusi, 3. Sean O’Connell, 28. Niall Brookwell, 7. Sean McGrath (C), 8. Ronan Teahan, 11. Daniel Okwute, 21. Luke Palmer (GOAL ‘12, ‘34), 10. Joe Adams.
SUBS: Mathyas Randriamamy (GK), Oran Crowe, Kevin Williams, Cian Brosnan, Finn Barrett, Ryan Kelliher (GOAL ‘87), Stevan Stanic-Floody, Carl Mujaguzi, Eemeli Honkola.
ATHLONE TOWN TEAM: 1. Matthew Connor, 3. Kyle O’Connor, 5. Dylan Hand, 8. Aaron Connolly (C), 10. Declan McDaid, 11. Kyle Robinson, 12. Cole Omorehiomwan, 14. Noe Baba, 15. Ben Feeney, 16. John Ross Wilson, 21. Bastien Hery.
SUBS: Lee Axworthy Duggan, German Fuentes Rodriguez, Adam Wixted, Kailin Barlow, Brian Torre, Matthew Leal, Gideon Tetteh, Billy Gilmore, Adam Lennon.
