Diego_Sideburns Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Dean Kelly training with Shamrock Rovers, where the season starts in March. Article in the Irish Herald: Kelly glad to be home Thursday January 20 2011 FROM THE Leinster Senior League to League One in England and -- maybe -- onto the Champions League. That's the remarkable journey for former Crumlin United striker Dean Kelly, 25, who has just finished a spell with Oldham Athletic. He is now likely to sign for a League of Ireland side, with Shamrock Rovers favourites to land his signature for the 2011 season when the Hoops will defend their League of Ireland title and also play in the Champions League qualifiers for the first time. Kelly is one of a rare group of players who made the leap straight from the non-league soccer scene in Ireland to the professional game in England. Twelve months ago, Kelly was playing for Crumlin United but last summer the striker got the chance of a trial at League One side Oldham. They liked what they saw, signed Kelly on a six-month deal and put him into the first team straight away, with Kelly making his Oldham debut under boss Paul Dickov against Tranmere in August. But after 13 games (and one goal) for the Latics, Kelly has left the club and is back home in Dublin, swapping the life of a full-time pro in England for a return to the day job with Dublin City Council. "I'm glad I got the chance to play abroad. Not many lads from junior football get the chance to play at a level like League One in England, but being honest I'm happy to be back home now," Kelly told the Herald. "It was a great experience. To play in places like Southampton and Tranmere was great for me, but I'm back in Dublin now and looking to the next stage of my career. "I had a few offers of trials from clubs in England, in League One and League Two, but I think the League of Ireland is the best move for me now. I've had offers from a few LOI clubs but Shamrock Rovers is the most interesting prospect for me now and hopefully I'll be able to sign for them before the end of the week. They're in the Champions League next summer and the chance to play in a competition like that is a big attraction for me," added Kelly, who played for Tolka Rovers before joining Crumlin. "In the long term I'd like to go to Australia to play and work there. I know a lot of Irish players are heading there so maybe in the future I'll head there too," he said. "The main problem at Oldham was that I wasn't playing, and when you're my age all you want to do is play. I don't care if you're playing for Crumlin United or earning £10,000 a week in England, if you're not playing then there's no point in being there. "I just knew from the way things were going at Oldham that I wasn't really in the manager's plans so I decided to come home. I could have stayed on for another few weeks -- my contract isn't up until the end of this month -- but I felt I wasn't going to be in the team so there was no point in being there." League of Ireland players are quite the in-thing in the English league now -- 33 ex-LOI players are on the books of English clubs this season -- but not many players get the chance to move to England from the non-league scene here. "I was lucky to get the move," says Kelly, a junior international. "Paul Dickov was the manager who signed me but it was his assistant, Gerry Taggart, who saw me first. Taggart had heard about me, watched me in a few games for Crumlin and asked me over on trial. I did well and got a contract. Goals "I think I did well over there and I was certainly not out of place. I played against Premier League teams like Blackburn in the reserves and did well. I don't think they'd have given me 14 games if I wasn't up to it. "I scored for them as well. We beat Plymouth 4-2 in October and I got one of the goals. "But in the end I wasn't getting enough games for me to stay on. I don't think I had a proper chance to prove myself. And Oldham have just signed two players on loan from Sunderland so they were going to get games ahead of me." So Kelly has said goodbye to the life of a full-time pro in England with a club who were in the Premier League as recently as 1994, and gone back to work after a career break from his employers. "My job is with Dublin City Council, doing building work like clearing sites and knocking down dangerous buildings," he says. "It's a pity England didn't work out in the long run but I'm lucky to have a job and be able to play football too." - Aidan Fitzmaurice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razza699 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 "I'm glad I got the chance to play abroad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 If you need a passport to go there, it's abroad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razza699 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 If you need a passport to go there, it's abroad. Hardly living the dream though is it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lukers1 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Dean Kelly training with Shamrock Rovers, where the season starts in March. Article in the Irish Herald: Kelly glad to be home Thursday January 20 2011 FROM THE Leinster Senior League to League One in England and -- maybe -- onto the Champions League. That's the remarkable journey for former Crumlin United striker Dean Kelly, 25, who has just finished a spell with Oldham Athletic. He is now likely to sign for a League of Ireland side, with Shamrock Rovers favourites to land his signature for the 2011 season when the Hoops will defend their League of Ireland title and also play in the Champions League qualifiers for the first time. Kelly is one of a rare group of players who made the leap straight from the non-league soccer scene in Ireland to the professional game in England. Twelve months ago, Kelly was playing for Crumlin United but last summer the striker got the chance of a trial at League One side Oldham. They liked what they saw, signed Kelly on a six-month deal and put him into the first team straight away, with Kelly making his Oldham debut under boss Paul Dickov against Tranmere in August. But after 13 games (and one goal) for the Latics, Kelly has left the club and is back home in Dublin, swapping the life of a full-time pro in England for a return to the day job with Dublin City Council. "I'm glad I got the chance to play abroad. Not many lads from junior football get the chance to play at a level like League One in England, but being honest I'm happy to be back home now," Kelly told the Herald. "It was a great experience. To play in places like Southampton and Tranmere was great for me, but I'm back in Dublin now and looking to the next stage of my career. "I had a few offers of trials from clubs in England, in League One and League Two, but I think the League of Ireland is the best move for me now. I've had offers from a few LOI clubs but Shamrock Rovers is the most interesting prospect for me now and hopefully I'll be able to sign for them before the end of the week. They're in the Champions League next summer and the chance to play in a competition like that is a big attraction for me," added Kelly, who played for Tolka Rovers before joining Crumlin. "In the long term I'd like to go to Australia to play and work there. I know a lot of Irish players are heading there so maybe in the future I'll head there too," he said. "The main problem at Oldham was that I wasn't playing, and when you're my age all you want to do is play. I don't care if you're playing for Crumlin United or earning £10,000 a week in England, if you're not playing then there's no point in being there. "I just knew from the way things were going at Oldham that I wasn't really in the manager's plans so I decided to come home. I could have stayed on for another few weeks -- my contract isn't up until the end of this month -- but I felt I wasn't going to be in the team so there was no point in being there." League of Ireland players are quite the in-thing in the English league now -- 33 ex-LOI players are on the books of English clubs this season -- but not many players get the chance to move to England from the non-league scene here. "I was lucky to get the move," says Kelly, a junior international. "Paul Dickov was the manager who signed me but it was his assistant, Gerry Taggart, who saw me first. Taggart had heard about me, watched me in a few games for Crumlin and asked me over on trial. I did well and got a contract. Goals "I think I did well over there and I was certainly not out of place. I played against Premier League teams like Blackburn in the reserves and did well. I don't think they'd have given me 14 games if I wasn't up to it. "I scored for them as well. We beat Plymouth 4-2 in October and I got one of the goals. "But in the end I wasn't getting enough games for me to stay on. I don't think I had a proper chance to prove myself. And Oldham have just signed two players on loan from Sunderland so they were going to get games ahead of me." So Kelly has said goodbye to the life of a full-time pro in England with a club who were in the Premier League as recently as 1994, and gone back to work after a career break from his employers. "My job is with Dublin City Council, doing building work like clearing sites and knocking down dangerous buildings," he says. "It's a pity England didn't work out in the long run but I'm lucky to have a job and be able to play football too." - Aidan Fitzmaurice I thought he was average at best, I know he scored but he missed a few sitters, we have better players in the stiffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 Hardly living the dream though is it Of course it is if you're a non-league player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 I thought he was average at best, I know he scored but he missed a few sitters, we have better players in the stiffs. We have better players than him in the first team who miss sitters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaticsLee Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 We have better players than him in the first team who miss sitters. Morais, Tounkare, Taylor, Stephens, Furman, Brill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 Morais, Tounkare, Taylor, Stephens, Furman, Brill How soon Feeney is overlooked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaticsLee Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 How soon Feeney is overlooked! he dosnt do shots, more like clearances ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Ritchie Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 "But in the end I wasn't getting enough games for me to stay on. I don't think I had a proper chance to prove myself. And Oldham have just signed two players on loan from Sunderland so they were going to get games ahead of me." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razza699 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 "But in the end I wasn't getting enough games for me to stay on. I don't think I had a proper chance to prove myself. And Oldham have just signed two players on loan from Sunderland so they were going to get games ahead of me." Think it said it all when Dickov put M'voto up top instead of Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaticsLee Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Think it said it all when Dickov put M'voto up top instead of Kelly It sure did when Mvoto banged the winner in against plymouth was that his only goal ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razza699 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 It sure did when Mvoto banged the winner in against plymouth was that his only goal ? no he scored 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaticsLee Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 no he scored 2 His second against ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 His second against ? Hartlepuddle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaticsLee Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Hartlepuddle oh yeah for some reason i blocked that week out of my head Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsslatic Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 He put in a decent shift whenever I saw him, not necessarily blessed with the greatest of ability but he tried his best and I hope he's able to forge some sort of successful career over in Ireland. Laughing at him 'living the dream' seems a bit harsh. I'm sure many on here would give a lot to play league football even for Barnet or whoever, never mind for Latics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafcprozac Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 (edited) If you need a passport to go there, it's abroad. You don't though, you just need official government approved ID, such as a Driving Licence photocard or Identity Card (of course you can use your passport if need be) but I thought you would have known that, having travelled to the Emerald Isle as often as you have? Edited January 24, 2011 by oafcprozac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razza699 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 He put in a decent shift whenever I saw him, not necessarily blessed with the greatest of ability but he tried his best and I hope he's able to forge some sort of successful career over in Ireland. Laughing at him 'living the dream' seems a bit harsh. I'm sure many on here would give a lot to play league football even for Barnet or whoever, never mind for Latics. I wasnt so much laughing at him living the dream , just saying "to play abroad" made me laugh , I just always think of Spain or Italy when people say abroad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigDog Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 He put in a decent shift whenever I saw him, not necessarily blessed with the greatest of ability but he tried his best and I hope he's able to forge some sort of successful career over in Ireland. Laughing at him 'living the dream' seems a bit harsh. I'm sure many on here would give a lot to play league football even for Barnet or whoever, never mind for Latics. decent enough player needed more time - hope that he comes good for Shamrock Rovers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBosch Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I wasnt so much laughing at him living the dream , just saying "to play abroad" made me laugh , I just always think of Spain or Italy when people say abroad there are far more places than that abroad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldhamains Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 If you need a passport to go there, it's abroad. You don't need a passport. You can use photographic id! A drivers licence would be ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razza699 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 there are far more places than that abroad. no way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBosch Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 no way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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