by Adam Moynihan

League of Ireland First Division

Kerry FC v Cobh Ramblers

Friday at 7.45pm

Mounthawk Park

Kerry FC captain Matt Keane says he and his teammates are eager to earn the support of the home crowd at the club’s first ever League of Ireland match on Friday. 

Newcomers Kerry welcome Cobh Ramblers to Tralee on Matchday 1 and Killarney man Keane knows that the home fans will have a major part to play during what is sure to be testing debut season in the First Division.

“The fans are going to be massive,” Keane told this reporter at the pre-match press conference. “Friday night will be the first time a lot of the lads will have played in front of this kind of a crowd. It sounds like it’s going to be hard enough to get tickets.

“We’re under no illusions, there’s going to be good days and there’s going to be bad days. If we can get the crowd up for the game, we can really feed off them and that can make all the difference. Building that relationship and that rapport with the crowd will be massive for us.”

The all-action midfielder feels that Kerry’s status as the league’s youngest club should allow them to play with a degree of freedom.

“I wouldn’t say there’s much pressure there. We’re the new boys in the league so it’s nearly a free shot in most of the games that we come into.

“There’s a brilliant group of lads there. Everyone is absolutely buzzing. There’s great excitement for Friday night. It’s going to be a massive occasion. A historic day for Kerry.”

Former Killarney Celtic star Keane has played at this level before – he had two seasons with Treaty United in 2021 and 2022 – so he has a better idea than most of what is required. Manager Billy Dennehy has assembled a decent-looking squad and Keane believes that they have what it takes to compete against their more established counterparts.

“We have quite a good number of fellas who have played in the League of Ireland,” Keane noted. “Seán McGrath, Seán Kennedy, Gutsy (Shane Guthrie), Nonny (Jonathan Hannifin)… There’s a good squad there who have played at a high level. We have Leo Gaxha coming back from Sheffield United as well.

“The big thing for us is going to be the intensity of the game. We do have a number of lads who are stepping up from U17 and U19 but from what I’ve seen, these boys are more than ready for this level. I think most fellas are going to be up to it.

“The vast majority of us are local lads and nearly everyone in the group has a point to prove, whether they’re coming back to the League of Ireland or they’re trying to push on and prove that they can play at this level. There’s a lot of hunger and pride and drive. You can really see it in training; everyone is pushing each other on.

“We really want to make this work. It’s not even just about us. It’s about the next generation coming after us. We’re the boys who are stepping into the unknown but hopefully this is something that will be here for a long time to come.”

MANAGER

Another man who knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level of the game in this country is Billy Dennehy. At Monday’s presser, Dennehy spoke of his deep pride at being the man who will lead this nascent outfit into their first ever LOI campaign.

“The biggest word that comes to mind at the moment is absolute pride,” Dennehy, who turns 36 today, said. “I was there at the Open Day [on Sunday] and I have to say that it was probably one of the proudest moments of my sporting career. And a match wasn’t even played.

“To see the people of Kerry come out the way they did and to see so many kids excited about being part of the journey… That’s what it’s about for me. This is what Kerry FC is for. It’s for the people of the region to have somewhere to go and let their dreams flow, to see where this game might take them.

“We were all at that stage once in our lives. I want the young players of Kerry to see days like Sunday and to now aspire to get into the first team. This is something that Kerry has wanted and needed for a long, long time. I’m delighted it’s finally here.”

Like Keane, Dennehy is optimistic about the quality of the squad he has put together. And like Keane, the manager insists that the only expectations that matter are the ones that are being set within the group.

“It has been a long process from when we've got accepted into the league. You're into the recruitment stage straight away and with the model of the club, that obviously makes it a little bit more challenging. But the application from all the players who have come in and the players that have expressed a real desire to represent the club, although they might have had options elsewhere, shows the pride that the players do have in representing Kerry Football Club.

“The expectation is self-created. Everyone has expectations of themselves as an individual, no matter what your job is. Of course, I have expectations of myself. Analysing the players over the past few weeks and months has given me a new expectation of them and the potential that they have within them. But even as a player, I’ve never been one to look beyond the next week.

“For me it will be a very proud moment and very exciting moment to get the season kicked off but it’s just the first step on a very long and hopefully beneficial journey for everyone involved in the club.”

The former Sunderland, Shamrock Rovers and Cork City player remained tight-lipped when asked about the style of football that local soccer fans can expect to see at Mounthawk Park. He did, however, insist that 100% effort from the players will be the minimum.

“Without giving too much away, you have to maximise the strengths of the group that you have. With the level that we’re at, I’m not in a position to go out and spend €50 million on full backs or anything like that. You obviously have to manage the group and utilise their strengths.

“But we’ll always be there to compete, we’ll always be there to win. Will that happen every week? Absolutely not. But we’ll be on the front foot and trying to make that happen from the start.

“I think the players have seen that from the training that we do and the application that we demand from them. The players seem to have the exact same mindset and mentality, so everyone coming to watch Kerry Football Club will see a team ready to compete, trying to get the best result we can on that day.”

The ambitious Kerry FC venture, which has a USA-based backer in the form of Brian Ainscough, has evidently captured the imagination of the natives. A large crowd attended the club’s Open Day last weekend and the opening fixture against Cobh is a sellout.

We have been drip-fed signings over the past couple of months but Kerry saved one of the more interesting ones until last. Killarney Celtic striker Stephen McCarthy, considered the most deadly finisher in the Kerry District League, officially made the switch on Tuesday.

McCarthy signed off on his time with Celtic just days earlier by scoring from the penalty spot in their 3-0 win over Tallaght United in the last 16 of the FAI Junior Cup.

The Hoops now advance to the quarter-final stage where they will take on Ballynanty Rovers of Limerick at home. The match will be played the weekend of March 4/5.