Kerry 2-12 Antrim 1-10:Kerry might still be struggling to find top gear this year but today they somehow managed to find a way past a dogged Antrim side in Tullamore to book their place in the quarter-final of the SFC Championship.
On paper this Round Four Qualifier should have been a one-sided affair, but such has been the Kingdom’s lack of form, there was no telling the outcome.
Kerry stumbled through previous qualifiers against Longford and Sligo and today was no easy task against Antrim.
However, at crucial periods in the match, particularly in the second half, certain players stepped up to the mark. Goals from Tommy Walsh and Paul Galvin gave Kerry the edge as the Saffron championship dream came to an end.
Walsh got on the scoresheet after 12 minutes when he collected a Tadhg Kenelly pass before shooting low past John Finucane in the Antrim goal. It was everything Kerry needed to get kick-started from an otherwise sluggish start.
Antrim’s opening goal came through Tony Scullion after taking a pass from fellow wing back James Loughrey before rounding Kerry’s Dairmuid Murphy and firing into an empty net.
Kerry side went 17 minutes without scoring a single point, though Sean and Declan O’Sullivan will rue missed opportunities as easy frees went a begging. The frustrations paved way for Colm Cooper to come off the bench after the half hour mark.
Walsh brought the Kingdom level again, but Ciaran Close’s fisted point in stoppage time sent the Saffrons into the break with a slender 1-4 to 1-3 lead.
Cooper converted two frees to bring the sides level 10 minutes into the second half, and two minutes later regained the lead for Kerry.
Mike McCarthy’s surging runs forced Antrim to concede the frees from which Gooch punished, but Michael McCann steered over three Antrim frees, and with 10 minutes to play, the sides were still deadlocked on 1-8 each.
But the game took an irreversible twist in the Kingdom’s favour when Michael Quirke collected in midfield, before Donnacha Walsh sent Galvin in to finish from close range.
Antrim then ran out of steam as Kerry finished the job off with a string of points from Paul O’Connor and Galvin.
Kerry: D Murphy, M O Se, T Griffin, T O'Sullivan, K Young, M McCarthy, A O'Mahony, D O Se, S Scanlon, P Galvin (1-2), T Kennelly, Darren O'Sullivan, T Walsh (1-2), Declan O'Sullivan (0-1), S O'Sullivan (0-1, f).
Substitutes: C Cooper (0-4, 4f) for S O'Sullivan (30), T O Se for O'Mahony (43), D Walsh for Kennelly (43), P O'Connor (0-2, 2f) for Darran O'Sullivan (56), M Quirke for Scanlon (58)
Antrim: J Finucane, C Brady, A McClean, K O'Boyle, T Scullion (1-0), J Crozier, J Loughrey, M McCann (0-4, 3f), A Gallagher, T O'Neill, C Close (0-1), N McKeever, P Cunningham (0-3, 2f), K Niblock, T McCann (0-2).
Substitutes: A Douglas for O'Boyle (13), C Murray for Close (49), K Brady for O'Neill (53), S Burke for Niblock (64)
Referee: J White (Donegal).