Debutant Matthew Britton snatches a late point for Kerry against UCD

Britton, on loan at Kerry from Shamrock Rovers, was on the pitch for just six minutes when he scored an equaliser deep into injury time

The point moves Kerry on to seven for the season, one ahead of bottom side Treaty United. Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile

SSE Airtricity First Division: Kerry FC 1 UCD 1 

Debutant Matthew Britton found the net deep into stoppage time to earn Kerry FC a draw against UCD in Mounthawk Park on Friday evening.

Shamrock Rovers Loanee Britton only came off the bench six minutes before the end of the allotted time, and his shot from outside the area found the net thanks to a wicked deflection off a UCD defender, securing a point on the night after Hugh Smith had given the Students the lead before the hour mark.

Kerry came into the tie without a first-team goalkeeper available, with Colin Healy handing Harvey Mangan his debut. Still, the young Kerry keeper had little to nothing to do in the opening half, which did see UCD dominate possession, but neither team mustered up an effort on target.

The Students continued in the ascendancy in the second half and forced Mangan into his first big save ten minutes into the second half. McCullagh dinked the ball over the top for Hugh Smith to run onto and smash high towards the far corner, but the Kerry net minder produced a spectacular save to tip over the bar.

The home side would concede from the resulting corner, though. UCD worked the corner short before playing a cross from a deeper angle, which Smith got his head on, directing back across goal to give his side the lead.

Kerry began to push on after going behind, but despite a number of attacking changes, were not making any inroads on the UCD defence, until in the ninety-sixth minute, Britton stepped up and tried his luck from range, with a wicked deflection sending keeper Kavanagh the wrong direction and Mounthawk Park went wild.

KERRY FC: Harvey Mangan; Finn Barrett, Jonas Hakkinen, Killian Cantwell, Sean O’Connell; Cian Bargary, Ewan Lee, Arran Healy, Sean McGrath; Cian Murphy, Ryan Kelliher 

Subs: Cian Brosnan for S McGrath, 62, Samuel Aladesanusi for F Barrett, 62, Matthew Britton for E Lee, 83, Eric Koufie for S O’Connell, 90(+1) 

UCD AFC: Dara Kavanagh; Luca Cailloce, Éanna Clancy, Niall Holohan, Luke O’Regan; Adam Wells, Colin Bolton, Ciaran Behan, Michael McCullagh; Hugh Smith, Killian Cailloce 

Subs: Stephen Mohan for K Callioce, 65, Louis Dignam for C Bolton, 65, Michael Raggett for H Smith, 83, Thomas Morley for M McCullagh, 83, Charles Akimintoyo for S Morley, 90(+3) 

REFEREE: Alan Patchell