TALENTED Athy youngster, Michael Kelly, was part of the FAI Emerging Talent team who beat some of the best underage teams in Europe to lift the Hibernia Trophy.
The Irish team was made up of players who hope to make up the under-15 international squad next year and despite a niggling injury, Kelly did his chances no harm at all, at the tournament which was played at Dublin club, St Joseph’s Boys.
Damaged ligaments in his knee meant that Kelly sat out the first game of the tournament, a 5-0 win over Linfield on Friday (20 August) but he was back in the starting lineup on Saturday morning for the 10 win against Crystal Palace. A recurrence of his injury forced him off early in the second half and he missed the 1-0 afternoon win against Liverpool as a result. The 14-yearold recovered sufficiently to start the final on Sunday morning and despite operating in an unfamiliar left wing role, Kelly helped the team to a 3-1 win.
Kelly admits that he prefers to play as a striker but was happy to show his versatility for the Irish team.
“I started well but there wasn’t much of the play coming out to my side as the game went on but at least I started well,” he said.
“I really enjoyed playing with the Irish team because we are encouraged to play passing football, we always tried to build from the back.”
Kelly hopes that he will impress at the regional trials later in the year and it is from those trials that the Irish under-15 team, who will play a tournament in Qatar next year, will be picked from.
It’s been a busy few weeks for Kelly who is equally at home on a GAA pitch. He graced the hallowed Croke Park turf for the Kildare under-14 team during the halftime of Kildare’s recent All-Ireland quarter-final win over Meath.
Just a week later, he was over in England on a week long trial with Championship side Nottingham Forest. It was an experience that he really enjoyed.
“I played well and scored two goals. I got called back over and will hopefully go over in October during the school holidays at Halloween,” said Kelly.
“I was very nervous, there are some very good players over there, very skilful and it was hard to get used to. I’ll know what to expect the next time though.”
Kelly has made it all the way through to international level while playing for his local Athy Town club but after catching the eye at the Kennedy Cup in June and again over the weekend, some of the bigger Dublin teams are already casting envious glances in his direction.
His talents have clearly made him a wanted man wherever he has gone but Kelly has risen to every challenge so far and this young man seems to have an incredibly bright future in front of him no matter what code of football he eventually settles for.