Kerry FC have their first away win of the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division season.
A 1-0 victory at UCD is also their first victory on the road since May of last year, and Colin Healy’s first in charge of Kerry.
Report by David Moriarty
Kerry FC were back on the road last Friday night for the first time since the game which concluded the first half of the season against Cobh Ramblers as they took on UCD AFC in Belfield.
The last time Kerry FC travelled to Belfield was the opening night of the 2026 season. An own goal from the hosts put the Kingdom in the lead before Carl Lennox and Ciaran Behan scored six minutes apart from each other to claim all three points.
When the side from the capital came down to Tralee, a Matthew Britton ninety-fifth minute equaliser made sure the points were shared in front of the Mounthawk faithful.
Kerry FC went into the fixture in high spirits off the back of last week’s win at home against Athlone Town. The hosts also had a tremendous victory, beating Finn Harps in Ballybofey 5-0. A great crowd made the trip up to watch the Kingdom in action as they hoped to get even closer to the playoff positions.
FIRST HALF
Kerry FC got proceedings underway in Belfield and immediately settled into a competitive contest against a UCD AFC side eager to impose themselves on home turf.
The visitors thought they had made an early breakthrough in the thirteenth minute when Kerry found the back of the net. However, celebrations were cut short after a foul was called on UCD goalkeeper Dara Kavanagh, ensuring the game remained scoreless.
Both sides began to trade opportunities as the game opened up. In the eighteenth minute, Kerry were indebted to Jonas Häkkinen for a superb piece of defending. UCD created a dangerous opening inside the area, but Häkkinen produced an excellent last-ditch tackle to deny the hosts what looked to be a clear scoring chance.
Just a minute later, Kerry responded positively. Daniel Okwute showed great intent down the left side, cutting inside before striking towards goal, but his effort took a deflection and went behind for a corner. The resulting set-piece was dealt with by the UCD defence.
UCD continued to probe and, in the twenty-seventh minute, Hugh Smith forced Matthew Connor into an excellent save. The Kerry goalkeeper reacted brilliantly to keep the sides level and maintain the visitors’ resistance.
Kerry then found the breakthrough in the thirty-fourth minute, and it arrived through a wonderfully worked move. Daniel Okwute was once again heavily involved, producing excellent work down the left flank before pulling the ball back into the danger area. Cian Brosnan arrived perfectly and finished low into the back of the net to send the travelling support into celebration. Brosnan was clattered by Sean Murphy immediately after getting his shot away, but Kerry had their deserved advantage.
UCD almost responded instantly in the thirty-fifth minute with a great opportunity at the back post, but the hosts failed to convert.
Three minutes later, Michael McCullagh tried his luck from outside the area, but his effort drifted narrowly wide of Matthew Connor’s right-hand post.
Kerry nearly doubled their lead in the forty-first minute. Goal scorer Cian Brosnan met a delivery with a header, but he was unable to generate enough power, and Dara Kavanagh gathered comfortably.
At the interval, Kerry FC took a deserved 1-0 lead into the dressing room after an energetic and disciplined first-half display.
SECOND HALF
The visitors began the second half with confidence and nearly created an early opening in the forty-ninth minute. Daniel Okwute struck well from distance, but his effort took a deflection and was gathered comfortably by Kavanagh.
Kerry continued to threaten moments later when Sean O’Connell delivered an excellent ball into the area. It found Cian Brosnan, but the pace on the cross combined with the difficult wet conditions caused the ball to skid away from him at the crucial moment.
In the fifty-seventh minute, Okwute again looked dangerous as his low strike flashed across the six-yard box. Cian Murphy attempted to get a touch, but could not make the necessary connection.
Kerry made their first change in the sixty-first minute as Robert Keane was introduced in place of Daniel Okwute.
As the second half progressed, UCD increased the pressure considerably, and Matthew Connor emerged as a key figure. In the sixty-fifth minute, he produced another excellent stop to deny Charles Akimrintoyo inside the area.
Connor somehow surpassed that effort three minutes later. Akimrintoyo looked certain to score with an empty net in front of him, but the Kerry goalkeeper pulled off an astonishing save to preserve the lead.
UCD continued to push forward, while Kerry defended with tremendous commitment and organisation. Ciaran Behan entered the referee’s notebook in the sixty-ninth minute, while Kerry weathered a sustained spell of pressure as every player contributed defensively.
Luke Palmer and Matt Britton were introduced in the seventy-sixth minute in place of Ryan Perez and goal scorer Cian Brosnan as Kerry looked to see out the contest.
Connor was called into action yet again in the seventy-eighth minute, producing another superb save to deny Eanna Clancy.
Kerry nearly wrapped up the points in the eighty-eighth minute when they broke quickly on the counter-attack, but they could not capitalise on the opportunity. Cian Murphy was shown a yellow card a minute later as the tension rose heading into added time.
Four additional minutes were signalled, but Kerry stood firm to secure a huge victory in Belfield.
The final whistle sparked celebrations among the players and travelling supporters as Kerry FC earned a deserved and hard-fought 1-0 win in the capital. Kerry FC now look to make it three from three as they welcome Longford Town to Mounthawk Park next week.
UCD AFC Team: Dara Kavanagh; Sean Murphy, Eanna Clancy (C), Carl Lennox, Adam Wells, Michael McCullagh, Louis Dignam, Hugh Smith, Killian Cailloce, Thomas Morley, Luke O’Regan.
Subs Used: Michael Raggett, Ciaran Behan, Charles Akimrintoyo, Goodness Ogbonna, Stephen Mohan.
Kerry FC Team: Matthew Connor; Sean O’Connell, Cian Murphy, Daniel Okwute, Jonas Häkkinen, Cian Brosnan (GOAL ‘34), Samuel Aladesanusi, Ryan Perez, Vince Borden, Niall Brookwell (C), Ewan Lee.
Subs Used: Matthew Britton, Luke Palmer, Robert Keane.
Kerry FC academy games today:
MU20 – Home to Waterford @ 2
WU17 – Home to Waterford @ 2
MU15 – Away to Bray Wanderers @ 3
Last night, Shamrock Rovers kept the distance between them and second placed St Pats with a 2-0 win over Waterford.
The Saints also ran out 2-0 winners thanks to late goals from Chris Forrester and Joe Redmond.
It finished 2-2 between Drogheda United and Shelbourne.
Galway United got the better of Derry City with a 2-1 win in Salthill,
And Dundalk leapfrogged Bohemians thanks to a 2-1 win at Dalymount.
