Ryan Kelliher has been a member of Kerry Football Club since the club played their first match in the League of Ireland. That match was a 2-0 loss v Cobh in which 1214 people watched on as Kerry were unable to cope with Tiernan O’Brien and Jack Doherty, who were the two goalscorers on that opening night.
In the 46th minute Trpimir Vrljicak was replaced by a Killarney native by the name of Ryan Kelliher. Although he was unable to get a goal on his debut, it was minutes under the belt for the then 22 year old Kerryman.
Kelliher went two consecutive matches without an appearance as Kerry lost 3-1 away to Bray and received their first point in the league with a home 1-1 draw v Treaty United.
On a cold spring night on the outskirts of Galway city, Ryan Kelliher played 45 minutes of League of Ireland football away from home. for the first time After 20 minutes on the pitch Kerry’s number nine netted his first ever LOI goal. While Galway’s goal tally reached nine on the night it was an appearance for Ryan Kelliher that showed his abilities with the ball at his feet.
In the 2023 season Ryan Kelliher went on to score a total of 12 goals across all competitions (League, Munster Cup and FAI Cup).
In 2024 in the League alone Ryan achieved a tally of 13 goals, 5 of which were against Longford Town. Another 3 of those 13 goals came in one match (Home to Bray l 3-3) while the remaining 5 were scored versus Athlone, Cobh, Finn Harps, UCD and Wexford.
In the FAI Cup Kelliher netted three goals and he added another to his total tally by scoring in the Munster Senior Cup final v Waterford
On the 19th of December, 671 days after his debut, Kerry Football Club announced the signing of a new contract by Ryan Kelliher.
Without a doubt the 23 year old will play a major role in the club’s future as the countdown to the league continues ticking closer to that opening day.
Photos from David Corkey of Radio Kerry and Luke O’Mahony