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‘Building that rapport with the crowd will be massive’ – Kerry captain Matt Keane

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3 years ago

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Killarney man Matt Keane will lead Kerry into their first ever match in the League of Ireland. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile.

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.

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Fossa Swimmers make a splash at County Finals

The Fossa Swim team pictured at the Tralee Sports Complex following their successful outing at the County Finals of the Community Games on Sunday, February 15. The 25-strong squad delivered […]

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2 months ago

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21 February 2026

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The Fossa Swim team pictured at the Tralee Sports Complex following their successful outing at the County Finals of the Community Games on Sunday, February 15.

The 25-strong squad delivered an impressive performance, securing a total of 37 medals across various individual and relay events.
Two Fossa swimmers captured gold medals, officially qualifying them for the National Community Games Finals scheduled for later this year.

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On the Ball Part 2 of the Mikey Daly Interview

Éamonn Fitzgerald EF: Killarney Celtic are invited to participate in an Irish competition. That has big financial implications for travel, meals, etc. MD: It is great to be invited, showing […]

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2 months ago

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8 February 2026

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Éamonn Fitzgerald
EF: Killarney Celtic are invited to participate in an Irish competition. That has big financial implications for travel, meals, etc.
MD: It is great to be invited, showing the quality of our squads, but travel costs are very high. I have been looking at clubs like ours in Limerick, Tipperary, Clare and elsewhere for a regionalised competition so that travel costs could be reduced, but I don’t see any commitment to that idea. It’s up in the air at the moment.
EF: Running an amateur sports club is very expensive, especially if you have so many successful teams in competition.
MD: You are well aware of that yourself, but with all of our activities, we are funded by the usual sources used by all sports to collect money. We are in a very good financial state.
EF:How good?
MD: As a trustee of the club, I am very proud to say that we are almost debt-free and we expect to be clear of any debt by October this year, marking our 50th anniversary. In saying that, whether you are an Under 12 or a senior player, all you have to pay for a training session with Killarney Celtic is €2.

EF:The women in Celtic appear to do great work developing soccer for all.
MD: Yes, they do marvellous work in so many parts of the club, led by trojan worker Mary Lyne. On Wednesday night last, the Mothers, Others and Friends started a weekly non-competitive fun game under lights at Celtic Park, and that is great.

EF: Can, can you see some ex-Celtic player is going to make it with a top Irish club and then cross Channel?
Md: I have to compliment Killarney Athletic here right away because Brendan Moloney and Diarmaid O’Carroll did just that. We haven’t had any such shining light yet, but we know that we will in the future because we have great young successful players coming through.
EF: Reverting back again, to 1976, you would have come up at the time The ‘ban’ was abolished. That rule prevented GAA players from playing soccer. If they did, they were suspended. However, it must have been difficult for a player to play both codes when it was permitted.
MD: Fair dues to Seán Kelly, he removed the “ban’, and we were very fortunate that there were some great players from Spa in particular, like Billy Morris, Seán Cronin, the Cahill brothers, James and John, Seánie Kelliher and others. They wanted to play football and soccer. The way we worked it in Celtic was that if the football season was over, then they always played soccer with us, and vice versa
EF: Why do you think that club soccer has become so popular in Ireland? It is climbing the rankings as a sport in Ireland.
MD: Because it’s on television the whole time, and the coverage is getting is precedented. Anytime you turn on the TV, you will find a soccer game from all parts of the world, not just cross channel. The 11-a-side is probably easier to organise than we say 15-a-side in the GAA, and some small clubs, particularly in rural areas, find it hard to get 15 to form a team. See what they’re doing in places. Two neighbouring teams get together as one team, and that’s understandable because all people want to do is play. Of course, not all young people wish to play soccer; they have different hobbies, learning the guitar or whatever, and that is great for them. That’s my experience anyway.

EF: The real crunch time comes when they get to roughly 18-years-old, completing their post-primary education and moving away from Killarney for third-level education. They may be in college, anywhere in the country, making it difficult to come down and play with their local club. So that’s one big reason for the fall off.
MD: Some fall away before that, believe it or not.
EF: Do you think Celtic are doing well, promoting the club?

Yes, for all sexes, but particularly for the girls, so that they can stay on longer for valuable coaching. We’re very fortunate to have David McIndoe as coach for the Celtic girls, and he is outstanding, absolutely fantastic.
EF: The FAI seems to stumble from one crisis to another, but at local level soccer is alive and well in towns, as well as in rural areas. Ballyhar and Mastegeeha are very good examples where great facilities have been developed by enthusiastic volunteers and that attracts the players
MD: So I think once you get to the stage where you have a facility and committed club people, you’re there. We have a very good membership, and we’d be well organised for parents who support their kids playing, and they do. We have two stands, as you know, one dedicated to our former great Celtic man, John Doyle (RIP). That’s important nowadays that you have a clubhouse where the spectators can get that welcome cup of coffee they will relish, especially on cold days.
EF: Where do you see Celtic in 2076?

MD: As I said earlier in Killarney Celtic, we are welcoming for everyone, the local Irish, of course, but it’s open to all. We have great people originally, from China, Europe, and the Middle East. We have an exceptionally good committee at the moment. We had people with foresight like Dermot O’Callaghan (RIP), who were progressive, and of course, that family continues the Celtic tradition. Obviously, we like to push the thing on a bit further, but we’re very conscious that we spent 50 years putting this together and we want to make sure that when we go, the structures are in place in (Killarney) Celtic for the next 50 ( years)As a trustee I am very proud of how we have developed and will celebrate that achievement this year. We will also remember the Celtic players and supporters who have passed away since 1976 and look forward to whatever challenges and opportunities face Killarney Celtic in the years ahead. It is hard to believe that it all started from our conversation (with Billy Healy and Tommy O’Shea) that a new club was needed in Killarney, so that all players who wish to play soccer will be able to play at whatever level they wish and join us at Celtic Park.
EF: Thanks, Mikey, and wish you good health on your daily cycles with your good friend Mike O’Neill.
That’s Mikey Daly, always a pleasure to chat with him on a variety of sports.

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