Derry hand Kerry first win

Kerry 0-15 Derry 1-9:POINTLESS KERRY were hoping to get their campaign on track when Derry make the trek to Stack Park, Tralee, yesterday, and they rose to the occasion thanks to the brilliance of Kieran Donaghy and the accuracy of Colm Cooper and David Moran.

Derry was boosted by the inclusion of forwards Paddy and Eoin Bradley. The brothers joined the fit-again Raymond Wilkinson. Kevin McCloy returned to full back where he was involved in a titanic duel with Donaghy.

Derry dominated the opening against a listless Kerry who were fortunate to trail by only three points at the interval because Derry had kicked 11 wides.

Derry were dominant at midfield where Fergal Doherty and Patsy Bradley won plenty of possession, but their forwards could not get their radar right, despite playing with a stiff wind.

Kerry full backs Tommy Griffin and Tom O’Sullivan struggled against the Bradleys.

Paddy Bradley opened the scoring with a free in the second minute, while Eoin got the next in the ninth minute, when Kerry debutant David O’Callaghan drilled a poor crossfield pass that Aidy McLoughlin intercepted.

Declan O’Sullivan was moved to wing forward and Kerry enjoyed their best spell from the 12th to the 15th minutes with four unanswered points.

Donaghy was the main threat as he opened the scoring from the endline and then he fed David O’Callaghan, who might have got a goal. Captain Killian Young added another, while Donaghy took a pass from Cooper and drove it over when a goal was on.

Derry hit back within three minutes when Patsy Bradley’s high ball was not dealt with and Eoin Bradley shot to the net.

Cooper and Paddy Bradley swapped frees as Derry took over – though they managed eight wides in 25 minutes and went in at the break only 1-6 to 0-6 in front.

Marc Ó Sé came in for an out-of-sorts Tommy Griffin and Kerry outscored Derry 0-9 to 0-3 in the second half, with the wide count being 5-4 in Kerry’s favour.

KERRY: B Kealy; P Reidy, T Griffin, T O’Sullivan; A O’Connell, A O’Mahony, K Young (0-1); S Scanlon, M Quirke; D O’Callaghan (0-1), D Moran (0-3), Darran O’Sullivan; C Cooper (0-5, 5f), K Donaghy (0-3), Declan O’Sullivan (0-1). Subs: M O’Se for T Griffin (h/t), A Maher for S Scanlon (47), B Sheehan (0-1, 1f) for Darran O’Sullivan (54), K O’Leary for D O’Callaghan (58).

DERRY: B Gillis; M McGoldrick, K McCloy, D McBride; C Kielt, M Lynch, G O’Kane (0-1); Patsy Bradley, F Doherty (0-1); A McLaughlin, B McGuigan, Brian Mullan (0-1); Paddy Bradley (0-5, 5f), Eoin Bradley (1-1), R Wilkinson. Subs: M Dunne for B Gillis (26), S Leo McGoldrick for C Kielt (56), J Kielt for B McGuigan (62), J Diver for A McLoughlin (64).

Referee: Gerry Kineavey (Galway).