There’s an old saying in football: momentum is a fickle friend—hard to court, easy to lose, and it doesn’t text you back after a Cup exit. Kerry welcomes Wexford to Mounthawk Park in what feels less like a mere fixture and more like an emotional laying of the season’s bricks. You can sense the anticipation in the air; it's the final home game—a curtain call for a year that will be remembered in these parts as Kerry’s most successful league campaign to date. Let that sink in, because for the Kingdom, success isn't measured in medals this year, but in miles traveled and ceilings raised.
If you’re looking for a clash that’s short on stakes, you’ve come to the wrong park. For Kerry, the dream of playoff football may be mathematically improbable, hanging by a thread as fine as the optimism in the stands. They need every point in the remaining three matches, starting tonight, to reach a record 41 points—a number just shy of playoff glory, but a marker of progress for a club still in short pants. Pride is more than just a slogan now; it’s the fuel running through their boots.
Wexford, on the other hand, stumbles into Tralee with playoff hope clinging to them like the last stubborn leaf of autumn. Sixth place, one point off Treaty United, with everything to play for and each result a potential obituary for their postseason ambitions. Lose here, and Treaty could make the next week academic; win, and next Friday turns into a winner-takes-all showdown with the Treaty men at Ferrycarrig Park. Not so much a must-win as a cannot-afford-to-draw.
Recent form reads like two teams living in different worlds. Kerry, averaging a meager half-goal per game across their last 10, have been more reliable at suppressing excitement than generating it. The last five outings? Loss, draw, draw, loss, draw. The score sheet a desert, the defense—well, not exactly the Hoover Dam, judging by a 1-6 drubbing courtesy of Shamrock Rovers. Still, Joe Adams keeps the candle burning, coolly dispatching penalties, the sort who could turn an arm-wrestle into a ballet.
Wexford’s form book is a novella—dramatic swings, three wins then a brick wall against UCD. They average 0.8 goals per game, which may not sound like much, but in First Division currency, it's enough to buy you hope in the final month. Dean Larkin, the hat-trick hero against Finn Harps, is the name on every Tralee defender’s dartboard—if Kerry leave him loose, he could paint the town three shades of trouble.
The tactical battle might not be chess, but it isn’t checkers either. Kerry have struggled up front, so expect a side that builds slowly, hangs tight, and waits for a set-piece or a penalty for Adams to stride up, hands tucked calmly behind his back. Wexford play with a little more abandon out wide, looking for Larkin, Dobbs, and Martin to stretch the back line and exploit any lack of concentration. If Kerry can keep the game scrappy and loud, the home crowd might be the difference—history favors Wexford, but recent meetings suggest the door is no longer locked. Kerry snatched their first-ever win over Wexford earlier this year, fresh paint still drying on the record books.
Injury news? Kerry are mostly intact, no fresh complaints after the Tallaght trip—though Matt Connor remains a game-time question, while Hiermer, Gleeson, and Kelliher are out for the week. Wexford come in with their big names intact, which is bad news if you happen to own a Kerry goalkeeper jersey.
There’s a real narrative here for fans who appreciate more than just “who scored.” For Kerry, this is about respect—a chance to send off the home supporters with one last night of significance, a memory to wrap up and tuck away while the club dreams bigger dreams over the winter. For Wexford, the stakes are merciless: win, or risk turning next week’s finale into a formality. One team building its own identity, the other fighting to keep its season alive.
Predictions? I’ll tip this match with the caution of a man who’s seen enough shockers to know when not to trust a stat sheet. Kerry will be desperate, hungry and, with Adams poised from the spot, might just have enough to make Wexford sweat. But if Dean Larkin finds an early groove, the away side could be dancing on the Mounthawk turf by sundown.
Nights like these, under the floodlights with nothing but pride and playoffs at stake, remind you why you keep coming back. Because sometimes momentum texts you back. Sometimes, it even buys you a pint.