IT was a long time coming but it was well worth waiting for as Killarney Athletic tonight clinched the Kerry District League Premier A title in dramatic fashion with a very late winner against town rivals Killarney Celtic.
A Daithi Casey goal five minutes from the close sealed victory in an absorbing final replay and it gave Stuart Templeman and Alan Brady’s side a 1-0 victory that was celebrated with great gusto at Mounthawk Park, Tralee.
Celtic, to be fair, looked the more likely to score as they had more flair going forward but this Athletic win was fashioned from the back with a rock solid rearguard providing the platform for one of the great successes in the club’s proud 52-year history.
Celtic were on top early on, Athletic clawed their way back into it and Matt Keane and Stephen Hayes both had first half chances for Celtic but they couldn’t convert.
Celtic came close again in the second half when Cathal O’Shea set up Chris O’Leary but his header was just over and Wayne Sparkling also had a good chance.
But the winner, when it came, was executed in lethal fashion as substitute Paul O’Donoghue sent a perfect ball into the path of the inrushing Casey and the centre forward showed great persistence and control to slot the ball beyond the reach of keeper Roy Kelliher.
He has been a hero for Dr Crokes so often in the past but tonight Daithi Casey wrote his name in the annals of Killarney Athletic with a golden goal that sees them crowned Kerry soccer kingpins.
It was tough on Celtic after a long and dramatic season that saw them go all the way to the FAI Junior Cup semi-final but tonight belongs to Athletic and they’ll be singing a different kind of blues long into the night when they return home with the cup to the new capital of Kerry socccer.
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