Back-to-back Treaty visits will test Kerry

SSE AIRTRICITY FIRST DIVISION

Kerry FC v Treaty United Friday, March 1 Mounthawk Park, 7.45pm

WHAT else can you do, except dust yourself down, and go again? There’s really no point dwelling on a sense of injustice, you just have to get on with it.

To be fair, there’s very little time for sitting around feeling sorry for yourself in this league. It’s week-on-week, bang-bangbang, game-after-game-aftergame.

Still if there’s anything for to be drawn from the disappointment of losing out at home to Bray Wanderers on Match-Day 2, largely due to what seemed an unfair dismissal for Nathan Gleeson on a second yellow, it might be a sense of defiance.

Put those energies to good use against Treaty United in this weekend’s little mini series of games – league on Friday, cup the following Monday – and take something positive from it.

Easier said than done, of course. Treaty are the form side of the opening two games of the league, sitting atop the table on full points. The only side in either the First or the Premier divisions in that position.

A big win over Cobh on home soil first day out was followed by a win on the road to UCD in Belfield next day out. All going swimmingly for Tommy Barrett and his squad of players.

They’ll be favourites to continue their winning-streak against the Kingdom this weekend, but Kerry FC have been better than their results have shown, particularly in that defeat to Bray Wanderers on the weekend.

Still for all that they did well, there were nevertheless aspects of the Kerry FC performance against Bray that wasn’t up to scratch. You could make a case for all three goals being poor to have conceded.

“Giving away sloppy goals like that it can’t happen,” Kerry FC first-team coach James Sugrue said this weekend.

“It is very annoying, because the real hard stuff on the pitch, working hard, the high pressing, we get the ball, we’re outstanding, we create a lot of chances and then really they’re basics and I keep saying this we can’t lose games on basics.

“I’ve said this to them in the dressing room now afterwards and they know this can’t happen again, because at this level, and I played at this level, this is what will cost you games and it cost us again the last day.”

Kerry will, of course, be without the services of Nathan Gleeson following his red card against Bray Wanderers for the visit of Treaty.

They will, however, have both Nathan Gleeson and Jack Kavanagh back available for selection.

“They should be okay,” Sugrue confirms.

“What happened was they rolled their ankles believe it or not on the Tuesday, so we assessed them Thursday, but they just weren’t right. They rolled their ankles, they weren’t swollen or anything, just a bit of tissue damage, so it wasn’t bad. They’ll be back this week. It should be okay.”

Just as well to have those guys back in the fold, as the challenge posed by Tommy Barrett’s Treaty this weekend is sure not to be inconsiderable.

“We’ll set up the way we know we can,” Sugrue says.

“Treaty were the same last year, they’re resilient, they’re a good side, they have the ability to win games, and that’s a big thing. I know their manager well, Tommy [Barrett], I played in Limerick myself and he’s that type of fella, he will drill that in to them and make them tough to beat.

“We’ll just set up ourselves… but I just have full trust in the squad we have this year. They’re a great group of lads, they’re honest, they’re very aggressive, they work hard and well able to be play.

“We have to turn that ability to be able to play and turn that into wins now. They have to learn how to win and that’s a big thing.”

With games coming backto-back against Treaty in the league and the Munster Senior Cup, one wonders if a certain prioritisation will have to come into effect for the Kingdom?

“Obviously the first priority is the league on Friday,” Sugrue confirms.

“We want to get the three points. The last day you could see the performance was good, obviously things went against us and Nathan will be missing that game with two yellow cards, which is a real blow, because Nathan’s been one of our best players.

“We’ll adjust to that, but the league is [the priority]. Then we’ll take it on, we’ve two days for rest and we’ll see what way the players are. In the group we’ve a good squad there so players can come in on the Monday then for the cup.

“We’ll always take it game-bygame. We’re going to prepare now for the game on Friday and go all out and get the three points.”

Asked if that means we could see a considerably changed Kerry selection for Monday evening’s fixture, Sugrue demurs.

“I wouldn’t say that,” he says. “We’ll see how the players are and, like I said, Shane has done serious work if you could see the fitness and the physicality of the boys the last day was very good.

“We were very aggressive. Our recovery is very good in the group. I’d say two days… a lot of them are young so they should be fresh enough for Monday and, look okay, we’ll look at them Sunday and they’ll be in the plans for Monday as well.”