The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Captain’s call to arms as Kerry take on Bohemians in U-17 Final
KERRY Under-17 team captain, Tom Doyle, is calling on all soccer supporters in the county to be in Mounthawk Park on Sunday afternoon to get behind the team when they take on Bohemians in the Mark Farren Cup Final.
On what will be on the biggest occasions every for Kerry soccer, the Billy Dennehy managed Kerry team host the mighty Bohemians club from Dublin in the national final of this Cup competition, and Doyle is hoping a huge home support can help Kerry upset the odds and win the game.
“We are calling on all soccer fans around the county to come out and attend the game on Sunday as big support is what we need to push us that extra bit, which will be needed against this very strong Dublin side,” the Killarney Athletic player said.
“We are well used to playing at Mounthawk Park now and...we will be hoping to turn this to our advantage as Bohemians play on grass pitches in most games.
“We know we are outsiders but we also know we can lift our game even higher than we have in recent games and that will be required if we are to win this game. We have done all the preparations and Sunday is the time we will have to put everything into practice and hope that it is enough to win the game.
Team manager Billy Dennehy says everyone involved is really excited and eagerly await the final, which is a feat very few Kerry teams have reached over the years.
“Nobody outside our group thought we would get to a national final and now that this has happened we’ll go and do our very best to win it. We will be right up against it against this Dublin side and it will take a huge effort to win the game.
“The lads have been fantastic all season and now they have a chance to win silverware. We have strong squad and competition for places on the starting line up are intense.”
UNDER-17 MARK FARREN CUP FINAL
Sunday October 13 Mounthawk Park, Tralee at 3.30pm
THE groundwork is done, the preparations complete the training is over and now everything is set for the Mark Farren Cup Final where the Kerry under 17 side will be vying for their very first piece of silverware in a national competition.
Mounthawk Park is the venue for the huge occasion with Dublin side Bohemians their opponents and Kerry will be hoping to make home venue count and conquer this very strong side.
It has been a merry-go-round season for this talented Kerry side who have been the surprise packet in the competition defeating a number of high profile clubs in their journey to the final. The management and panel of players would never have envisaged that they would get to a national final after struggling for a long time in their league programme.
After a disappointing start to the season the team got their act together as the season progressed churning out a good few league wins and made their way to this Cup final.
Team manager Billy Dennehy stuck with his side through thick and thin as he knew they had the talent to hold their own with most teams in the Under 17 League.
He has a great management team beside him in James Sugrue and Shane Guthrie. Both men have vast experience in the game and their advice and training techniques has been a great asset to the squad. They have been involved in the game for a long time and have a lot to bring to the table.
When a few squad players left, new players were introduced and they strengthened the squad considerably, and before long good results began to come in.
In their path to the final Kerry got a bye in the opening round. They played Cobh Ramblers in the second round and won 5-1. Galway United were their opponents in the quarter-finals and they had a comfortable 4-1 victory. Kerry beat Cork City 3-2 in the semi-final.
Meanwhile, Bohemians got a bye in the first round. They beat Dundalk 1-0 in the second round and defeated St Patrick’s Athletic in the quarter-final. The Dublin club got a walkover from Bray Wanderers in the semi-final.
While the odds are against Kerry going into the game they won’t be attending to make up the numbers and will be hoping they can upset the apple cart.
Their self belief is now at a high level since defeating Cork City and if they are firing on all cylinders and with the assistance of huge support on the day they might sneak a win.
It is the biggest day in the sporting lives of all these young players and their only mission on the day is to win the game.
In the meantime everyone will be keeping their fingers crossed that they can perform a giant killing exercise and lower the sails of this high profile club.
Opponents don’t come any bigger than Bohemians and while Kerry go into the game as outsiders cup finals from time to time produce shock results and Kerry will be hoping they can make the headlines for the right reasons on Sunday.
KERRY SQUAD: Dylan Donna, Kian Clancy, Robert Vasiu, Nick Izehi Neil O’Shea, Tom Doyle, Fortunatus Ankomah, Nathan Gleeson, Colin Walsh, Neil O’Shea, Martin Coughlan, John Carmody, Patrick O’Connor, Cian Brosnan, Daniel Okwute, Ryan Guerin, Eoin Clifford, Josh Toomey, Stephen O’Loughlin, Jack Kirby, Owen Benson, Ruairi Manning, Jack McCarthy