‘The key is that if you don’t score then don’t lose the game’

SSE AIRTRICITY LEAGUE OF IRELAND FIRST DIVISION

Kerry FC v Athlone Town Friday, April 19 Mounthawk Park at 7.45pm BY PAUL BRENNAN

IT is seven games unbeaten now for Kerry FC in the First Division, and while the glass half empty merchants might convince you that a loss has to be imminent, those of a half-full glass disposition will look at this Friday’s game against Athlone Town in Mounthawk Park as another very winnable one for the home side. And why not?

Athlone sit just above Kerry in the division – seventh as against eighth, 12 points to nine – but in their last five games both teams have taken nine points from a possible 15. The Midlanders travel to Tralee on the back of a 1-0 win against Finn Harps at home, while Kerry will take huge confidence into Friday’s game from their scoreless draw away to Treaty United last weekend.

It says much for where Kerry FC are now compared to 12 months ago, when they come away from Market’s Field with a point but the general mood is one of disappointment that they left two more behind them at the Limerick city venue.

Assistant coach James Sugrue was in no doubt immediately after the 0-0 draw that it was a game Kerry should have won, and the team’s head coach Conor McCarthy was of a similar mind speaking to The Kerryman on Monday.

“The game the last day, Treaty started well but you’d expect that at home with the crowd they bring, you expect they’d start fast out of the traps, but I thought we dealt with that well. I know they hit the post very early and we got a bit lucky with that, but I thought we were the better side for the majority of the game,” McCarthy said.

“Yeah, we just didn’t take our chances and it probably feels like two points dropped the last day as opposed to a point gained but there will also be big games where we will pick up a point in some situations where we mightn’t deserve a point so it kind of evens itself out over the year.

Yeah, we were probably disappointed with the draw but that just kind of shows that we’re in a good place if we are going to a place like Treaty and not happy coming away with a draw.”

Those chances the coach alluded to included Ronan Teahan crashing a close-range shot off the crossbar when a little more composure was called for, while Ryan Kelliher and Daniel Okwute might, on another evening, have snatched a goal or two.

Still, one of McCarthy’s mantras for the team this year has been ‘if we can’t win the game make sure we don’t lose it’ and a clean sheet against a threatening Treaty side on their home patch in front of a 1,506 mostly Limerick crowd is something to be pleased with.

Those last seven games has seen Kerry keep two clean sheets, but as importantly they haven’t conceded more than one goal in the other five. The leaky defence of their fresher season has been shored up considerably.

“We have done a nice bit of work on our shape and how we want to defend. We probably have an improved playing squad and players have got a lot better so that’s a lot

to do with it. They players that were here last year, the improvement and experience they have gained is invaluable regardless of coaching as such. We seem to be a good bit more solid defensively and we keep our hand in in all of those areas. The key part of it is that if you go out and you don’t score then don’t lose the game,” McCarthy said, while there was also a hat tip to the attacking end of the field too.

“Last Friday was the only game we haven’t scored in, bar the Finn Harps game but that was away, but we’re getting a few goals. The chances we are creating are very good, and that’s half the battle, creating chances. I think with a few of the boys coming back in it might give us more attacking options for sure but the fellas who have been in have kept this run going.

“The group, regardless of what the results had been, we felt like we expected to win games at home or away, whether they happened or not, but the group have put a lot of internal pressure on ourselves. Not a pressure on the players but more an expectation of the standard we set for ourselves.

“We’re not going to be a team that will be beat easily or be fragile at times. We said this year we don’t want to be that kind of team, we want to be strong. We want to do well in every game, and the group of players that are there now they probably take a lot more pride in the way they play and stuff like that.”

As for Friday’s game, McCarthy knows that nothing less than a fully committed collective effort will suffice against an Athlone Town team that Kerry drew 1-1 with away in Athlone Town Stadium in early March.

“Athlone are a very good side, of all the games we’ve played this season it was probably one of the most difficult we played up there. We found if very difficult in the first period of the game to really get a foothold in the game. We got a point up there which was what we deserved I think but it was hard earned.

“If we’re at it and all there I’ve no doubt we’ll be in with a shout of hopefully getting three points on the board again, but like that, if we’re not at it we could be in for a long night as well.”

On the injury front, Sean McGrath - having made his 50th appearance for the senior team in the previous week’s 3-0 win against Longford didn’t play against Treaty, but the Ballyduff midfield dynamo could feature on Friday, according to McCarthy.

“Sean McGrath suffered a bit of tightness in his groin after the Longford Town game so we’re just monitoring him. It’s a long season and we have this approach that we’re not going to be rushing players back into the team for them to be out two weeks later again.

“He saw the physio last week and needed a bit of rest but he’ll be in the mix to possibly come back in this week, it depends on how his week goes. He felt good on Sunday so we’ll reassess as the week goes on.

“Kennedy Amechi has a very, very slight strain in his hamstring but I think he’s very close to returning as well.

“Jack Kavanagh is now part of the match day squad so he’s back in full training, which is great, and he’s another good option to have.

“Valerii Dolia is due a scan on his foot on Thursday, so we’ll see how he is after that.

“Nathan Gleeson is very close as well, he will either be back in this week or next week to train, so we’re nearly getting back to full fitness for everyone very soon.”