The second coming of Dean Kiely

THE circle keeps on turning for Dean Kiely.

At 37, he finds himself back at West Bromwich Albion, the club for whom he signed schoolboy forms when he was just 14, and also back in the Irish squad, eight years on from his debut and five after he prematurely retired from international football.

The Salford-born goalkeeper won just eight caps in his career, a poor return for a number one of considerable authority and ability. And it was his unfortunate lot as perennial understudy to Shay Given which proved to be a factor in his deciding to call it a day at international level in the wake of his non-playing role at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea.

He also felt strongly that his club career would benefit from a less taxing schedule of travel and training. But now he’s back for another crack at another World Cup, the lure of a new Ireland under Trapattoni, Tardelli and Brady proving irresistible.

“It’s good to be involved,” he said, after once again donning the shirt for the training game in Portimao on Sunday. “I got a shout from Liam (Brady) quite a while ago, but I kept it under wraps. Liam just said I’d add some experience to the squad, because I’ve been around the block. I’ve found out over the past two or three years, that if there’s anything I want to do, then I’ll do it and this felt right. I’ve said for a lot of years that I wouldn’t do it, but when I had time for reflection, the decision suited me to come back into the fold and I’m happy I’ve done it.”

Even at his ripe old age for a footballer, Kiely, always a thoughtful student of the game, believes it’s never too late to learn. “One of the things for me, certainly as an experienced player, is that you want to learn off managers and coaches and the different things that they do. At the moment it’s all bedding in. I’ve been finding my feet around the manager, he’s got great presence about him and when he talks about football, you listen. All in all, it’s an exciting proposition for me to be involved in, I was asked as a former player, before I was back involved, about the appointment, and I said that as a player you’d turn up for all the trips and be excited to work with three legends.

“When you’re in and around quality people, people that know football and have done such great things in world football, it can only benefit you. It’s interesting and stimulating to be on the same training ground as the new management team.”

In terms of targets, Kiely prefers to talk now the quality rather than the quantity of what he feels he can contribute to the Irish cause.

“I’ll give a consistent, reliable, dependable sort of performance,” he says. “In an ironic sort of way, the selfish decision I took all them years ago [to quit Ireland) is probably why I’ve been asked back because I’m in good form both physically and mentally. I have a little bit of a chuckle when people say ‘veteran’ because I can’t help what my birth certificate says. But I’m feeling as good now as I did a decade ago.”

And with Shay Given out for the Serbia and Colombia games, is he pondering the possibility of quickly adding to his meagre haul of caps?

“I don’t dress it up as anything more than it is,” he parries. “I’ve been invited to come and do my job, I’m not really getting too carried away about it. It is what it is, I’ll just try and remain consistent and get on with things. Every waking hour that I’m around, it’s all preparation for playing well and doing my job well.”

Kiely’s international Indian summer is mirrored at club level, where his Championship Golden Gloves-winning form for West Brom proved crucial to helping them win promotion.

“It’s worked out well,” he agrees. “When I left Portsmouth, I had six or seven options and I had to make the right decision. For us to go back into the Premier League is rewarding and satisfying and it tells me I can still make good decisions. There are similarities from when I first went up with Charlton, because as underdogs people were going to question if we were going to stay in the division. So it’s a challenge I’m looking forward to.”