KENNEDY CUP PREPARATIONS

 The Kennedy Cup team and management are just back from a fact finding mission in Dublin last week. In all they played 3 games, had 1 training session and every fit member of the panel got at least 1 ½ games.

On the Tuesday they played the Crumlin U14 team on Crumlin’s All Weather surface and succumbed 1 – 0 after Crumlin scored after 10 minutes.

Wednesday morning they had a 2 hour workout again at Crumlin’s facility followed by a game in Malahide against their U13 side. Unfortunately they again lost by the same score line 1 – 0.

Thursday lunch time on the way home they played Celbridge U14 side and drew 3 – 3 in an eventful game. The management team of Derek G eorge, Brendan Hogan and Eoin Fitzgerard were more than happy with the 3 days work.

”We could not have asked for a better 3 days and games – each game brought its own problems and eventually we found the solution in the Celbridge game”, said George.

The management team had been working of a panel of 32 upto the end of January and then cut it to 20 and this was their first run out together.

”We had 17 fit players available to us fir the 3 days”, continued George, “they worked hard for each other, learned to live together for 3 days and grew in team spirit”.

“We stayed in the Green Isle Hotel at Newlands Cross and their hospitality followed by the hospitality of the 3 teams made our stay in Dublin a lot easier”.

 Following a long bus journey up the team played lovely football against a strong Crumlin team but luck in front of goal alluded them that day.

 On the Wednesday morning the management team worked a lot on dead ball situations and put them to practice against a well organised Malahide team. And on the Thursday they got their just rewards.

 Playing against a very strong wind in the first half and against a very physical Celbridge team they trailed 1 – 0 at half time. Five minutes after the restart a cross from Castleisland’s Colm Murphy was headed home by Mastergeeha’s Damien Breen.

 Two defensive mistakes enabled Celbridge race into a 3 – 1 lead with 10 minutes remaining but that was when the Kerry team sprit came to the fore.

The impressive Conor Keane from Killarney Celtic manufactured a penalty which Captain Gary O’ Neill from Kingdom Boys slotted home to make the score 3 -2.

The Kerry lads were getting the better and another strong run by Keane resulted in a free kick just outside the box in the last minute which again O’Neill put in the back of the net for a deserved 3 -3.

“It wasn’t a classic by any means”, said Brendan Hogan, “but it showed tremendous character from the team to claw their way back into the game. Physically it was very demanding on the lads but each and every one of them stood up to be counted and team work prevailed in the end.”

 “For a lot of them it was their first time staying away from home for a couple of days” said Eoin Fitzgerald “and they loved it, got on well together and helped out in any manner possible”.

Hopefully this spirit can mark a successful Kennedy Cup campaign in Limerick in June.  

Squad for trip to Dublin: Roy Kelleher (Killarney Athetic), Dara O’Shea (Listowel), Ryan Downey (The Park), Corey O Hara (Listowel), Colm Hurley (Dingle), Aaron O’Connor (Listowel), Adam Leahy (The Park), Tadhg Fahy (The Park), Gerard O’Sullivan (Kingdom Boys), Colm Murphy (Castleisland), Derek Breen (Mastergeeha), Greg Horan (The Park), James McCarric (killarney Athletic), Gary O’Neill (Kingdom Boys), Jack Savage (The Park), Kevin Bowler (Listowel), Dara Roche (Killarney Celtic), Conor Keane (Killarney Celtic), Ian Murphy (Listowel), Damien Breen (Mastergeeha).