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.