Stoic Kelly hopes wait about to pay off

By right, it would be understandable if Stephen Kelly was one of the Irish players known to be disgruntled with Giovanni Trapattoni’s decisions.

A long-time servant for the Italian, the Fulham full-back was one of five outfield players — including the absent Darron Gibson — not to play a single minute of Euro 2012. And, here, he can’t hide his disappointment.

“Don’t get me wrong, I was devastated. I didn’t get a chance to play and that was very hard to take, having played a lot in the build-up. That’s something you have to take on the chin.”