7.45pm 9 June 2023
League of Ireland, Division One
Kerry 0 Athlone Town 1 (att 750)
New grounds to visit in the League of Ireland don't happen that often, and when they have in recent years it's usually involved a trip to Dublin, Limerick or Galway. So the addition of team from Kerry was a welcome one.
Never having visited that part of Ireland before it was an ideal opportunity to make a weekend end of it. Kerry FC play most home games on Friday nights, and flights from Manchester heading out on a Friday morning and back on a Monday were perfect.
Kerry are a newly-formed team, in a county where Gaelic sports seem to dominate. Their introduction to the League of Ireland has been a tough one, which just a single win from 19 matches after this defeat.
They'd have entertained Athlone with high hopes, having secured their sole victory in the reverse fixture a few weeks ago. Athlone were in no mood to lose to the newcomers again though, and a neatly-taken first half goal was enough to win.
There wasn't much between the sides, and Kerry put the visitors under a lot of pressure as they pushed hard for an equaliser in the closing minutes. Athlone's experience gave them the edge, and they held out to win.
The latest ground to host League of Ireland football is Mounthawk Park, on the north-western edge of Tralee. It a soccer-specific complex with several pitches. The main pitch has an artificial surface, a seated stand and two covered standing areas, one behind the goal and one opposite the stand.
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