ATHLONE TOWN 1 KERRY FC 1
John Dingle
A goal from Dylan Hand rescued a point for Athlone Town in Lissywollen on Friday night last after bottom team Kerry FC had threatened to create a league fixture shock.
The visitors had taken the lead early in the second half and the Town might have completed a victory comeback but Dean Ebbe failed to find the net from a number of good chances as the game approached its conclusion.
Entertainment in the opening half was poor, the hosts earning the first corner kick of the contest with five minutes played. Sean McGrath replied with a Kerry shot which went wide. Aaron Connolly drilled a shot on target after 14 minutes but Kerry keeper Antonio Tuta safely gathered the ball.
There was then a lull in proceedings until after the half hour mark when Athlone forced another corner. A third home corner of the half saw Gideon Tetteh almost celebrate his first start with a goal but his header from Dan McKenna’s delivery went wide. Ebbe came closer after 39 minutes but another header from Connolly’s right wing cross was narrowly off target. The final goalmouth action of a dull opening half saw a cross from the right by Tetteh gathered by the Kerry keeper.
The visitors had been largely subdued to date but were much improved when play resumed. The first chance of the half saw Ryan Kelliher fire over on 50 minutes but Kerry came even closer a minute later when Okwuy Okwute took aim from the right and his shot was brilliantly saved by Enda Minogue who dived to his left to push the ball behind for Kerry’s only corner. Okwute was not to be denied for long as he then opened the scoring on 55 minutes. This time there was no stopping a shot which flew into the net from the right edge of the penalty area past the helpless Minogue.
The next Town action which came after 72 minutes lead to the equaliser, Athlone’s first corner of the half proving successful. McKenna sent the ball into the danger zone with Tuta not getting a clean punch to clear the danger beyond the six yard box. Hand took advantage of the situation to lift the ball over the keeper from close range and restore parity to the contest.
Kerry had lost all three of their league games played and now had to dig deep to prevent another loss. Athlone piled on the pressure but could not strike for a winner. Ebbe was out of luck on more than one occasion as Kerry survived. Connolly sent in a cross from the right which Ebbe connected with but the headed effort agonisingly failed to drop the right side of the post, going wide instead.
The pressure should have yielded a winning score after 84 minutes but Ebbe somehow failed to find the net from close range. Kerry then survived not conceding a penalty kick when the ball appeared to be handled inside the box. Three additional minutes were indicated and the home team had one more chance for a winner but Ebbe shot wide.
