It’s crunch time at the end of the 2026 campaign, with both Kerry and Wexford still well within sight of a playoff place come the conclusion of the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division campaign in 4 weeks’ time.
Kerry have hit a bump in the road for their playoff hopes following back-to-back defeats in the league over the past 14 days. The defeat at home to Bray ended what was a 12-match unbeaten run in Mounthawk Park, a run that had been ongoing since early April. That defeat, coupled with last week’s loss on the road in Athlone, has left the Kingdom 2 points outside of the top 5 with 4 games to go. But, with 12 points still on offer, it is still a game of cat and mouse between several teams over the next number of weeks.
With Kerry’s next two ties on the road to Donegal and Cobh respectively, there is no denying the importance of this fixture for Colin Healy’s side, who will be sure to be out to prove that the defeat at home last time out was only a once-off.
Wexford had an impressive 3-1 victory in Ferrycarrig Park over fellow playoff rivals Cobh Ramblers last Friday night. That, coupled with Kerry’s defeat, has brought the men from the South East right back into the playoff fold. They will be coming to Tralee for a crucial 3 points, with every point gained over the course of the next couple of weeks invaluable to every team in the end-of-season hunt for the top 5.
Head-to-head
Kerry FC Wins – 2 Draws – 5 Wexford FC Wins – 8
Did You Know?
There have been at least 2 goals scored in each of the 14 meetings between the sides, with only 3 occasions when one side hasn’t scored. So you can expect goals in Mounthawk Park.
Injury Update
It’s a cleaner bill of health for Colin Healy ahead of the visit of Wexford FC to Mounthawk tomorrow night. Niall Brookwell has returned from his one-match suspension. Luke Palmer played 45 minutes for the first time in several weeks during last Friday night’s tie in Athlone following his injury. Daniel Okwute also returned to the matchday squad last week, while Cian Bargary also took part in training this week ahead of tomorrow’s game.
‘What they said’
Colin Healy – “Listen, we’ve got 4 games left and loads of teams have to play each other as well. I don’t think there is too much doom and gloom. We know what we have to do. Getting Dan back, and Luke Palmer as well, who has been out for a while, it’s great to have those options again now. We need everybody available going forward, especially tomorrow night. They are off the back of a good result against Cobh and are another team pushing to get into the playoffs. It will be a difficult game, but getting players back is a significant boost.”