Kerry FC stretch unbeaten run to seven games but leave disappointed not to have taken the win away to Treaty

SSE AIRTRICITY LEAGUE OF IRELAND FIRST DIVISION

Treaty United 0 Kerry FC 0

ON another evening we might have been treated to five, even six goals, as Kerry FC and Treaty United peppered each other’s goal with shots – each striking the woodwork as well – but it ended in a frustrating scoreless stalemate at Market’s Field.

Last year’s Kerry FC would have been delighted to leave the Limerick city venue with a draw and a point, but such is the current form and the general upbeat expectation of this year’s team, there will be acute disappointment that they didn’t take all three points from a game in which they dominated much of the second half and created far more of the clear-cut chances.

The result extends Kerry’s six-game unbeaten run in the First Division to seven – and those six draws and a win shove the Kingdom up to seventh place in the division at least for 24 hours until Bray Wanderers, in eighth position also on nine points, play Longford Town on Saturday evening.

By the end of the 95 minutes it was hard to recall that Treaty United had hit the woodwork inside the first minute and had largely dominated the opening 20 minutes. Thereafter, the visiting team had a purple patch in the second quarter of the game, but the really came into their own in the second half and had Treaty pinned back and under serious pressure in the last half an hour.

The big news before the game was the omission of Sean McGrath from the squad, with the ever-present midfielder – he made his 50th appearance the previous week – ruled out with what is understood to be a groin injury. Whether Conor McCarthy’s side was unsettled by the absence of their talisman or not one can only speculate, but it took Treaty a matter of seconds from the tip off to hit the woodwork, when Mark Byrne met a cross unmarked and sent his header off the angle of the post and crossbar with Antonio Tuta stranded.

That signalled about 20 minutes of Treaty dominance, where the home side controlled the ball around the middle third and led to a few shots on goal, and a good header from Stephen Christopher in the 18th minute that went just wide of Tuta’s left hand post.

Kerry weren’t without their opportunities in that opening quarter either, with Ryan Kelliher drawing a save, albeit an easy one from Corey Chambers with a header in the fifth minute, and two minutes later Ben O’Riordan had to be alert to block Kelliher’s low shot at the expense of a corner.

Around the half hour mark, Daniel Okwute dragged a tame shot wide for the visitors, and Treaty defender Mark Walsh had to be alive to deny Daire McCarthy getting on the end of Sean O’Connell’s cross.

Then, after 32 minutes, Kerry really should have scored when Okwute floated in a perfect cross that needed only the barest touch but Kelliher just couldn’t get his head on the ball as he rose to it in the six-yard box.

Treaty finished the half the better side, with Byrne directing a head straight at Tuta, and Byrne and Evan O’Connor trying long-range shots that both rose high over the crossbar, as the teams went to the interval deadlocked and scoreless.

As they had in the first half, Treaty conjured an early chance in the second when Lee Devitt got a little touch on a through ball into the box but the ball drifted just wide with Tuta scrambling to get across to it. Three minutes later Devitt must have thought he was about to score but Samuel Aladesanusi came across to make a brilliant blocking tackle as the Treaty man was just about to shoot from close range.

Then, in the 51st minute, Treaty turned over a Kerry attack and broke quickly from their own half to set Devitt racing ahead in possession with Kevin Williams in pursuit and only Tuta ahead of them. Devitt did get himself out in from of Williams but then went to ground in what was surely an anxious moment for the defender but referee Daniel Murphy thought nothing of it and waved at the Treaty man to get to his feet.

Perhaps counting their blessings, or sensing that Treaty were there for the taking – not to mention avenging the 1-0 defeat they suffered at Mounthawk Park in early March in their first league meeting of the season – but from there on Kerry were the dominant team.

Seán O’Connell, who was excellent raiding down the left wing, drew a smart save from Chambers, and then on the hour mark Kerry really should have taken the lead. Okwute, who was a threat all through, showed some neat footwork to play Ronan Teahen through inside the cover, but with just Chambers to beat from about 10 yards, Teahan opted to crush his shot, which crashed back off the crossbar, rather than simply place it past the Treaty ’keeper with so much of the goal at his mercy.

Kerry continued to pressure Treaty, who couldn’t offer much in the way of clean attacks, with Cian Brosnan and Graham O’Reilly offering fresh legs and Okwute offering a fresh threat after moving out to the right wing.

In the 79th minute O’Reilly brilliantly switched the play to Brosnan whose shot was saved but spilled by Chambers, and while Okwute followed up with another goal-bound shot, Chambers did superbly to make another vital save.

It was all Kerry now, the visitors brimming with the confidence to hunt the winning goal rather than sit back on the draw, and Okwute and O’Connell continued to fire in teasing and dangerous crosses but Kerry just couldn’t find the goal that would have won it for them.

Another draw that somehow feels like points dropped rather than one gained, but Kerry won’t be too despondent. After 10 games they have nine points, just one less than they gathered in the entirety of last season.

Playing such positive football, with another clean sheet, and the possibility of McGrath returning next week, will send them into next week’s home game against Athlone Town confident of picking up more points. TREATY UNITED: Corey Chambers, Evan O’Connor, Ben O’Riordan, Mark Walsh, Oisin O’Reilly, Scott Kirkland, Fionn Doherty, Mark Byrne, Stephen Christopher, Lee Devitt, Yousef Mahdy. Subs: Alec Byrne for Kirkland (62), Thomas Considine for Doherty (62), Willie Armshaw for Byrne (62), Sean Costelloe for O’Reilly (67)

KERRY FC: Antonio Tuta, Samuel Aladesanusi, Kevin Williams, Andy Spain, Ethan Kos, Sean O’Connell, Stephen Healy, Ronan Teahan, Daire McCarthy, Daniel Okwute, Ryan Kelliher. Subs: Cian Brosnan for Kos (70), Graham O’Reilly for Healy (73), Victor Udeze for Kelliher (86),

REFEREE: Daniel Murphy