Dean Kiely: Wants to remain Charlton’s number one

DEAN KIELY insisted last night that frustration is not behind his shock decision to retire from international football with the Republic of Ireland.

“Obviously, I would have liked to play more often than eight times in the past four-and-a-half years, and there has been a lot of travelling without any football at the end of it.

“But this decision has not been taken out of frustration at not being Ireland’s number one, but rather through a desire to remain Charlton’s number one for as long as possible.”

“It was an incredibly tough decision to take but I’ve been thinking about the situation for a while he said.

“Representing my country has been a tremendous honour, and I’d like to thank everyone connected with the Irish squad over the last few years.

"I’m trying to be proactive by making this decision now while things are going so well, rather than wait until something goes wrong,” he added.

Republic of Ireland boss Brian Kerr expressed his disappointment at Kiely’s decision.

“He is an excellent goalkeeper who I selected in my first match in charge. I met with the player during the week and I have to accept his decision.”

Kiely made his debut as a substitute for the injured Alan Kelly in the European Championship play-off against Turkey at Lansdowne Road before starting the second leg in Bursa when he kept a clean sheet.

He has been a regular member of the squad since then, but has been unable to oust Kelly and then Shay Given from the number one shirt.