Mounthawk Park Friday, September 22nd, 2023 k/o 19:45   1st Team Friendly Attendance: 2,500 (estimated)         Kerry 0-4 Galway United
2023 /24

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There was another first for Kerry FC on Friday as it was the first time that the television cameras came to Mounthawk Park. As Galway United were closing in on the League of Ireland First Division title some coverage of the game was shown during the live television broadcast of St. Patrick’s Athletic v Dundalk. A huge opportunity for the Kingdom as people around the country were able to see inside Mount Hawk for certainly not the last time. The last time the two went up against each other it was a much tighter affair than games previously between the two sides. Galway won 1-0 in Eamon Deacy Park thanks to a headed goal from Maurice Nugent inside ten minutes. Despite Kerry’s best efforts to get an equaliser, Galway held out and did what all the best teams do, winning even when they were not at their best. For Kerry they took some huge positives from that game and have been close in all the games that they have played in since. Kerry FC midfielder Alex Ainscough sat down with the media this week and said everyone involved has been astounded by the progress the team has made since they took that heavy 9-0 defeat to Galway last March Kerry FC manager Billy Dennehy said, “Nothing is impossible,” when asked about maybe delaying Galway’s celebrations. Even with the stats that are on show for the Kingdom this season, Dennehy said he knows that they are improving and that “in this game, anything is possible.” Kerry FC v Galway Utd First Half Kerry nearly got off to a dream start inside the first minute as Ryan Kelliher nearly put the Kingdom 1-0 up. Kelliher got into a great position on the edge of the box but unfortunately, his effort did not trouble Brendan Clarke in the Galway goal, and it went over the crossbar and out of trouble for Galway United. As expected, Kerry felt a lot of pressure early on, but they were doing very well to deal with the champions elect. The early pressure resulted in a good chance for Edward McCarthy as he cut in well from the left wing to get his shot off. As he made his way in from the wing, he took his effort well, but it went left and wide of Lee Axworthy’s near post. Galway were getting closer to the opening goal of the game. A corner swung in on the left side had the ball bobbling around the six-yard box, but it was cleared to Kerr’s relief. They nearly took the lead on the twenty-eighth minute when a clearance from Lee Axworthy was scuffed. The ball came out as far as Darren Clarke, thankfully Ethan Kos got back in time and tackled superbly to put it out for a corner. It would be from that corner however that Galway opened the scoring in the game through Wassim Aouachria. The corner was delivered into a good area and Aouachria was completely free to finish off the chance and put Galway a step closer to the Premier Division. Despite going one behind Kerry stook at it and had a couple of big opportunities to level up the score before the end of the first forty-five minutes. The first of which came to Sean McGrath. McGrath drove into good space outside the centre of the box and took a low driven shot along the floor, Clarke was equal to it and put it out for a corner keeping their lead intact. The second came to Leo Gaxha on the stroke of halftime. A fantastic through ball put Gaxha ahead of his marker but Brendan Clarke was there yet again to sweep away the danger. Kerry FC v Galway Utd Second Half The second half started with two fantastic Lee Axworthy saves. The first came from a Francely Lomboto shot but the best came when Wassim Aouachria had a remarkably close-ranged effort kept out by the English shot-stopper. Brendan Clarke tried to level up the match between the two keepers with a great save from a Sean O’Connell header inside the six-yard box. With twenty minutes to go Kerry were finding it very tough to create many opportunities in their attacking half and they were punished by conceding a penalty in the seventy-second minute. Sam Aladesanusi brought down Francely Lomboto inside the area. David Hurley stepped up and converted the penalty to put the league leaders two goals ahead. Despite a decent spell of possession from Kerry FC, Galway scored a third through Francely Lomboto who made himself a nuisance since coming on from the bench. The ball was being played around the box and was not dealt with. Kerry were punished for their naivety and Lomboto slotted the chance into the bottom right corner. Six minutes later in the ninetieth minute, Galway added a fourth and had both hands on the First Division title. A corner delivered into the area met David Hurley and he got his twenty-fourth goal of the season from midfield, an outrageous stat that sealed a 4-0 win and promotion for Galway United who thoroughly deserved it over the course of the season. Kerry tried their best and put in a good shift for the most part of the game, but Galway’s experience was too much for them to handle and were thought another lesson in their first season of League of Ireland football, which some people seem to forget. Kerry make their way to Donegal next Friday to take on Finn Harps in the hopes of collecting a few more points before the season ends. Kerry FC Team: 32. Lee Axworthy, 3. Sean O’Connell, 5. Ethan Kos, 18. Samuel Aladesanusi, 15. Kevin Williams, 11. Sean Kennedy, 23. Ronan Teahan, 19. Martin Coughlan, 10. Leo Gaxha (C), 7. Sean McGrath, 9. Ryan Kelliher. Subs: Arthur Nganou, Rob Vasiu, Alex Ainscough, Cian Barrett, Togor Soling, Cian Brosnan, Daniel Okwute, Kennedy Amechi. Nathan Gleeson. Galway United Team: 1 Brendan Clarke, 4. Robert Slevin, 5. Killian Brouder, 6. Maurice Nugent, 7. Stephen Walsh, 10. David Hurley (Goal Pen ‘73, ‘90), 17. Vincent Borden, 22. Conor McCormack (C), 23. Darren Clarke, 24. Edward McCarthy, 31. Wassim Aouachria (Goal ‘29). Subs: Alex Rutter, Conor O’Keefe, Regan Donelon, Robert Manley, Aodh Dervin, David Tarmey, Francely Lomboto (Goal ‘84), Evan O’Connor, Oisin O’Reilly. RTE report Galway United seal promotion back to top flight with routine victory in Kerry changed / Friday, 22 Sep 2023 22:17 Galway United return to the top flight for the first time since 2017 Galway United return to the top flight for the first time since 2017 By Johnny Ward in Mounthawk Park RTÉ Sports reporter After a staggering famine of nearly 27 years without a trophy, Galway United are belatedly back in the top tier of Irish football. Having fallen short three years in a row since John Caulfield took over, the County Roscommon native guided United to promotion in a common canter, the inevitable finally confirmed in the unlikely surroundings of the Kingdom. A Wassim Aouachria goal on 31 minutes put United in front before a David Hurley penalty on 73 minutes, a Francely Lomboto goal five minutes from time and another at the death from Hurley had the large travelling support in party mode. Having hammered Dundalk a week ago to reach the last four of the FAI Cup, United can now enjoy their triumph before refocussing ahead of the visit of Bohemians. In a packed media area watching the game was Derek ''Buck'' Rogers, working for local radio, a Dubliner who joined Galway United and never left the city. He was among the men in maroon who shocked Cork City and won the League Cup on New Year’s Day in 1997, nearing the end of his days with the club. United have won nothing since, went out of business and endured years in wilderness. Ollie Horgan''s addition to Caulfield''s staff seems to have been a major asset – he left relegated Finn Harps in the off-season to join his hometown club – but the money of the Comer Brothers, the Glenamaddy billionaires who''ve backed United in recent seasons, created the platform. Caulfield was given time and now he too is back at the top level and hungry for more. With a mean defence and a constant supply of goals, United – who were second-favourites behind Waterford – have demolished the opposition. They welcome Bray Monday, when the party can continue at Eamonn Deacy Park. The home of football in Connacht''s biggest city has not seen a senior trophy in over a quarter of a century. Kerry have just one win to their fledgling name in the league but they have been a welcome addition. Whilst the home crowds have fallen off a little of late, the team has clearly improved, and hidings are now infrequent. They were far from overawed here. Galway hammered Kerry 9-1 back in March: that seems a long time ago. Dave Hurley celebrates with Stephen Walsh and Ed McCarthy after scoring Galway''s second in Tralee Killian Brouder hooked over on five minutes from a Conor McCormack delivery but United struggled to create much in the first half hour. Ed McCarthy has been a revelation for United this season and he exposed Kerry midway through the half but pulled his shot wide. Lee Axworthy-Duggan then made a mess of a clearance under minimal pressure but Darren Clarke was brilliantly denied by Ethan Kos. However, United were ahead from the corner, probable player of the season Hurley’s enticing delivery glanced home by Aouchria, a French native of Algerian descent who joined Galway from Waterford in July. The big man could be a major problem for Bohemians in the physical stakes in next month’s FAI Cup semi-final at Terryland. Brendan Clarke has possibly been United’s biggest signing of them all and he got down well to deny the lively Sean Kennedy as half-time neared. Remarkably, Leo Gaxha, the Kerry captain, should have levelled matters in injury time after pouncing on a weak Brouder header, but Clarke, 38, smothered his effort. Just as half-time approached, main sponsor Luke Comer trained a winner at Dundalk – it was that sort of night for the Tribesmen: just after the restart substitute Lomboto forced Axworthy-Duggan into a save. And the Kerry keeper excelled himself on 55 minutes, denying Stephen Walsh what looked a certain goal with a dramatic intervention. But Kerry were creating more chances than Dundalk did a week ago, Sean O''Connell sneaking in at the back post: again Clarke made a vital save. Hurley celebrates with Galway fans after full-time Walsh, winning his first trophy after years of toiling for United, tried again midway through the half but Axworthy-Duggan was alive to the danger. United''s second sealed the deal. The product of by far their best move of the game, Lomboto was bundled over by Sam Aladesanusi, and Hurley convered – the 15th penalty United have converted from 18 attempts this season, what must be a record many times over. Lomboto, a product of the United academy, tapped home with five minutes left. For United, it was time to celebrate, and Hurley even had time to notch another. A midfielder, he could yet finish top scorer in the First Division this season. Kerry FC: Duggan: Kennedy (Gleeson 46), Williams, Aladesaunusi, Kos: McGrath (Okwute 66), Teahannn, O’Connell, Coughlan (Brosnan 80): Kelliher (Amechi 80), Gaxha. Galway United: Clarke: McCormack (O''Keeffe 80), Brouder, Nugent, Slevin (Donelon 46): Clarke (Lomboto 35), Borden, Hurley, McCarthy: Aouachria, Walsh (Manley 80). Referee: Alan Patchell (Dublin).