Kerry Premier A League Final

Killarney Celtic v Dingle Bay Rovers

Friday, June 8 at 7.45pm

(Mounthawk Park)

As they face into tonight’s league final against Dingle Bay Rovers, Killarney Celtic’s players know that they are just 90 minutes away from completing the perfect season.

The solitary black mark was the second half collapse against Killarney Athletic where they let a three-goal lead slip to draw 3-3. Apart from that they have been utterly dominant, winning every single game and registering a whopping 75 goals in the process. Celtic were obviously very hungry for success after what happened last year and it has really showed in their performances thus far.

As I’ve said before, this league final business is a bit of a joke. Last season it actually made sense because Athletic and Celtic finished joint top with identical records. This year Celtic finished 11 points clear of second. They have been the best team in the division over the course of the past nine months, but one bad 90 minutes (or one bad half, even) and they could end up with nothing. It’s not a fair way of doing things in my opinion.

Although anything can happen in one-off game, I still think Eoghan Donnellan’s side will be massive favourites and anything other than a Celtic win would be a major shock.

Dingle are a good team with some great players but the 11-point gap tells its own story. The fixtures between the two during the regular season tells an even bigger one. On the opening day, Celtic went back to Gallarus and whacked Dingle 7-0. In March, they put seven past them again in Killarney. An aggregate score of 14-1 doesn’t exactly bode well for a competitive fixture in Tralee this evening.

But look, you never know. Dingle have ball players like Luke Burgess, Joe Sheehy and Adam O’Rourke in midfield but they can actually be quite direct at times. That particular tactic worked well for us in our league finals against Celtic and if Dingle can get it right, Seán Fitzgerald and Paudie Quinn are more than capable of nicking a goal or two.

As for Celtic, centre half Jamie Spillane recently moved to Japan but Chris Brady is a very good replacement and they should be solid enough at the back. Gary Keane and Matt Keane will look to dictate the tempo in midfield and feed their dangerous wingers, Danny Roche and Wayne Sparling.

If Celtic score early, I would fear for Dingle to be honest. Dingle’s best hope is to start well and get in at half time level. Obviously, if they could sneak a goal that would be the ideal scenario for them. If Celtic take the lead early it could kill Dingle’s confidence, especially considering how the earlier encounters have panned out.

Having said that, the last time these two met in the final it was the men from the west who came out on top (4-3 in 2016). The same outcome in this particular decider is unthinkable for the Hoops; if they were to lose it would be their third consecutive league final defeat. When you take into account the excellent season that they’ve had to date, it would be cruel in the extreme if they were to fall short once again.

Personally, I can’t see that happening.

Prediction: Celtic 3-1 Dingle