The league officially reaches the ¾ mark on Friday night as Kerry FC host Donegal side Finn Harps in Mounthawk Park with kick-off at 19:45.
It was a successful Bank Holiday weekend for Kerry FC, securing 4 of a possible 6 points on offer over the 4 day spell. That coupled with the Kingdom finding the net on 5 occasions across the 180 minutes, with 5 different men netting for Kerry FC. Matt Connor got off to the best possible start on Friday night with a clean sheet against his former club while he made some impressive saves on Monday evening in Limerick.
That point against Treaty was a valuable one for Kerry, who now join tomorrow night’s opponents Treaty United and Longford Town on 25 points, 8 points clear of last place Athlone Town. A win for Kerry tomorrow could see them close the gap to Wexford to 2 points and 7 points adrift of the play-off places ahead of the final run of 9 games.
Meanwhile, Finn Harps are without a league win since the end of June. An impressive 3-0 Cup win over a fellow First Division side in UCD has broken the run of 5 straight games without a win for the Donegal outfit. A 98th-minute equaliser by Bray Wanderers broke Harps’ hearts in Ballybofey on Monday night, so they will be looking to their trip to the Kingdom to get back to winning ways before a crucial Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup encounter next weekend.
It has all the makings of another classic between the sides. The opening game of the year ended in a 2-0 win on the pitch for Kerry FC, which was later chalked off the table by league officials. The return fixture went the way of Finn Harps in a thrilling encounter. Kerry led at the break by 2 goals to 1, but the hosts had a storming second half, finishing up as 4-2 winners in a lively affair in Ballybofey.
Matchday 27
Finn Harps v Kerry FC – Friday, August 8th – 19:45 Kick Off – Mounthawk Park
Previous Meetings – All Competitions
Finn Harps Wins 4 Draws 4 Kerry FC Wins 2**
Did You Know?
Tim-Oliver Hiemer and Daniel Okwute, both now regulars in the Kerry setup, both formerly played their football in Finn Park. Last year, Antonio Tuta became the first player to play for both sides with harps on their crest.
Injury Update
The Kingdom have a fairly clean bill of health ahead of the visit of Finn Harps to Mounthawk Park. Niall Brookwell returns from suspension. Tim Hiemer’s return is edging closer as he recovers from a broken finger. Arran Healy is recovering from a heavy knock he got last Friday against Athlone and will be assessed. Ryan Kelliher and Nathan Gleeson remain long-term absentees.