With summer temperatures soaring in the Kingdom this week, the mood in the Kerry FC camp is definitely matching the upturn in weather ahead of the visit of Longford Town to Tralee on Matchday 21 of the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division season.
After two super results after the summer recess, Kerry have moved up to 8th in the table, but most importantly, now just 4 points off the highly sought-after play-off places. A faultless performance away to UCD secured Colin Healy a first away win of his tenure and a deserved spot as Manager of the Week from the League of Ireland. Daniel Okwute was immense for Cian Brosnan’s goal, while Matt Connor once again proved that he is one of the best shot stoppers in the league.
The win in UCD backed up Kerry’s victory over Athlone Town in Mounthawk Park last time out here over a week ago, when Ryan Perez scored his first Kerry FC goal in a narrow victory. But the margin of victory at this stage won’t worry the Kingdom; getting the 3 points in any way, shape or form is what is needed as we enter another crucial run of games in the season.
Longford currently sit just one point outside the playoff places and are having a really strong season, with 6 wins and 7 draws to their name to date. An impressive home win on the opening night back after the break against Cobh does catch the eye, but they will be disappointed with a 5-2 loss away to Bray in the Carlisle last Friday night, a game where they lost goalkeeper Kian Moore to a red card after 20 minutes, and he won’t be making the journey to the Kingdom tomorrow night.
A win for the Kingdom will cut the deficit to Longford to a single point tomorrow night and, depending on results elsewhere, Kerry could be within a point of the final play-off berth come 9:30 pm. It’s set to be a warm evening in the Kingdom, and with schools out for the summer, expect a noisy atmosphere in Mounthawk Park.
Head-to-head
Kerry FC Wins – 4 Draws – 3 Longford Wins – 7
Did You Know?
Despite the distance between the sides, two players have donned the Kerry and Longford colours. Harry Halwax made the switch from the Midlanders to the Kingdom during the winter, while former Kerry FC captain Andy Spain made the move to Longford following a successful spell in the Kingdom in 2024.
Injury Update
Colin Healy still has several injury concerns to deal with ahead of Friday night’s clash in Mounthawk Park. Unfortunately, Ryan Kelliher has suffered another ACL injury and faces a long road to recovery. Sean McGrath (Hamstring), Cian Bargary (Groin), Arran Healy (Back), Finn Barrett (Groin), Kieran Cooney & Kilian Cantwell all remain unavailable, while Harry Halwax ticks closer to a place in the Matchday 20.
‘What they said’
Colin Healy – “We were delighted with the win last week, we were, it was great to get the win, especially away from home. We know that on our day, we can mix it with everyone in this league. But like I always say, we have to be at it for the full 90+ minutes. Longford are a really good side, a great manager there, they are always tough opposition, no matter where we play them. We’ve had a good run of home form going, and we will want to keep that up come 10 pm on Friday. We should have a big home support, which is always great.”