Kerry FC roar to very welcome win after week of turmoil

HAPPY CLAPPER: Kerry manager Colin Healy. Pic: Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile

Kerry FC 4 Athlone Town 0 

Kerry FC responded to a week of turmoil with their biggest win of the season against a lacklustre Athlone Town in Mounthawk Park on Friday night.

Colin Healy’s men hit four for the first time this season, and held their biggest half-time lead in their short history in a clash that they well and truly dominated from the first whistle.

Ronan Teahan, Sean O’Connell and Robert Cleary all found the back of the net before the break, whilst Carl Mujaguzi put the cherry on top of the cake with a superb long-range effort on the hour mark. 

The points see Kerry stretch the gap between their opponents on the night to seven points at the foot of the First Division. They come after a week in which both goalkeeper Mathyas Randriamamy and defender Shane Maroodza were stunningly released by the First Division club.

It could’ve been very different as Athlone had the first major chance of the game when Stanislav Hulidov’s header from a Billy Gilmour free-kick flew just past the post of Kerry goalkeeper debutant Matthew Connor. Kerry turned the screw from then on, their first chance came through Daniel Okwute, who managed to smash beyond Lee Axworthy but was denied by the foot of the woodwork.

The opening goal of the game went the way of the home side, courtesy of Ronan Teahan, who smashed home after some lovely work from Robbie Cleary running directly at the Athlone backline before providing the inch-perfect assist.

The home side doubled their advantage just a few minutes later. The goal was a bit more luck-based this time, as O’Connell’s inswinging corner flew over the heads of everybody in the area and into the side of the net, despite the best efforts of Kelende Thiam to clear.

Healy’s men found their third just minutes before the break. With their tails up, Kerry were pressing Athlone high and found fortune off the back of a Gilmour error. Cleary, after winning the ball back, drove forward himself and smashed past Axworthy into the far corner.

Mujaguzi rounded off the Kerry FC scoring on the hour mark. When the ball broke to the midfielder, the crowd urged the Ugandan to shoot, and with no hesitation, Mujaguzi nestled a sublime effort from range into the far corner.

Kerry FC: Matthew Connor, Ewan Lee, Kevin Williams, Samuel Aladesanusi, Chris McQueen, Sean O’Connell, Oran Crowe, Carl Mujaguzi, Ronan Teahan, Daniel Okwute, Robert Cleary Subs: Joe Adams for Crowe (65), Sean McGrath for Mujaguzi (74), Cian Brosnan for Cleary (74), Arran Healy for Teahan (74), Finn Barrett for Healy (79) 

Athlone Town: Lee Axworthy, Reece Webb, Cole Omorehiomwan, Kyle O’Connor, Aderinsola Adewale, Kelende Thiam, Billy Gilmour, Jason Oyenuga, Gideon Tetteh, Stanislav Hulidov, Dean Williams Subs: Daniel McKenna for Thiam, (58), Ben Feeney for Adewale (58), Noe Baba for Hulidov (65), Eoin Sheeran for Gilmore (65), William Smith for Oyenuga (87)

Referee: Alan Patchell.