'We'll be ready for it' - Colin Healy looking forward to Kerry's historic home FAI Cup quarter-final

HOME COMFORTS: Colin Healy after the Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup third round match between Kerry FC and Cobh Ramblers. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile.

Kerry FC manager Colin Healy admits he is delighted his side have been drawn to play at home in their historic quarter-final tie next month.

The Kingdom, in their first ever last-eight clash, will face five-time FAI Cup winners Sligo Rovers at Mounthawk Park on the weekend ending September 14 following Tuesday afternoon's draw.

Incredibly, this will be Kerry’s tenth home game from a possible eleven in all cup competitions and Healy is looking forward to playing in front of another big crowd in Tralee.

“It’s great to get a home draw," said Healy.

"We are coming up a very good side with a very good manager. It will be a difficult game but you know what, its brilliant for the club. It’s brilliant for everybody connected with the club.

"On Friday night against Cobh, the fans were magnificent and to get another home draw, to get another big crowd in to support the team and get behind the team. Yeah, it’s another big game to look forward to in the Cup.

“It’s nice to get a home draw. We will have a big crowd down here, the atmosphere on Friday night was brilliant. The players were talking about it again yesterday; there is excitement around the town as well so it’s great to be in the quarter-finals of the cup.

"We have a few league games before that but overall its fantastic for the town.”

Healy remarked that during his playing career Sligo were always a tough side to beat and the Showgrounds was a difficult place to visit.

“Sligo were always difficult to play against and are a Premier Division side and their manager John Russell is doing a very good job up their this year.

"He has strengthened in the window, bringing in some very good players and they have got some very good results over the past few weeks so it will be a tough ask but we are looking forward to it.

"They're good players. They're a premier side. Listen, we'll do our homework on them. We'll back ourselves 100%, but they are a premier side. They've got very, very good players. We'll be ready for it.

“That is our job, to watch these (Sligo) games, to watch them live. So, yeah, we will be looking at them. We'll have eyes on them everywhere. And probably they'll have eyes on us as well. So, yeah, they're the other sides of the job that we need to do our homework right on the opposition.

“It's great to be in the next round. It is. The performance the other night, I keep coming back, we had a game plan, the lads stuck to it. And I know in the first half, Cobh did have a lot of possession of the ball and we were probably giving away the ball in certain areas that we shouldn't have been.

"But I thought in the second half, we controlled it and obviously changing the system helped us as well. Even the clean sheet, go and get the second goal. Everybody was brilliant. I was delighted for the players.”

As for the injury situation for this Friday night's home league game with Longford Town, the Kerry boss confirmed he still has players unavailable.

“Ewan Lee comes back in now having been cup tied. Sean McGrath and Luke Palmer did a bit of running on Monday so I don’t know will they be fit for Friday.

"Daniel Okwute is still suspended but Aaran Healy is back training after his concussion, so we are getting a few bodies back.”