Georgie Kelly: FAI Cup final result won’t decide my Bohemains future

PFA Ireland Player of the Year nominee Georgie Kelly of Bohemians at Castleknock Golf Club in Dublin. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

In-demand Bohemians striker Georgie Kelly insists the outcome of Sunday’s FAI Cup final won’t determine his future at Bohemians.

Kelly will be a free agent after Sunday’s showdown against St Patrick’s Athletic, with Portsmouth understood to be among the cross-channel clubs chasing the league’s top scorer.

The 25-year-old’s hometown club Derry City, bolstered by billionaire Philip O’Doherty’s cash injection, are also trying to lure Kelly home.

Kelly’s 26 goals in all competitions, including four in the Europa Conference League, has earned him a nomination for the Players Football Association of Ireland (PFAI) Player of the year. He will battle with Roberto Lopes (Shamrock Rovers) and Chris Forrester (St Patrick’s Athletic) for the accolade to be announced on December 3.

Of immediate priority for Kelly is securing a first FAI Cup since 2008 for the Gypsies. He returned earlier than anticipated from a calf strain to tuck in an equaliser at Sligo Rovers in Friday’s final league game, insufficient to prevent Derry City edging them for third place.

They will need to win Sunday’s showpiece before an expected crowd of 30,000 at Aviva Stadium to seal a third successive year of European qualification but that won’t influence the forward’s thinking when it comes to his career choice.

“No, that wouldn’t be a factor, not really,” said Kelly about cup success and European football clouding his opinion.

“People keep asking what I am doing next year but I don’t know myself. I don’t know what’s going on or what options I have. It depends on what’s there. I told my agent that I don’t want to hear anything until after the cup final.”

The former Derry City and Dundalk striker admits it could be mid-December before he decides on his next move. Exams, part of masters degree in finance and renewable energy is another obstacle.

“The exams start on December 4,” he said of his studies at UCD’s Smurfit Graduate Business School.

“The last few weeks have been tough. It’s probably the most intense part of the course at the minute, all finance and maths stuff that I struggle at. The plan is to switch off from it this week for the cup final.”

Kelly admits the nomination caps his comeback year. Recruited from UCD in 2018 by Stephen Kenny, he always played second fiddle at Dundalk, eventually going on loan to St Patrick’s Athletic last season before signing permanently for Bohemians.

“If you’d asked me at the start of the year about being nominated for player of the year, from the place I was in, I’d have said no chance,” he admits. “Going to Bohemians gave me the chance to play as a number nine. To play every week was an important factor for me in making this decision.

“The consistency of playing, learning and improving, gelling with our team, has made it a good season for myself. To be chosen by my fellow players makes it special.”

• The Head in the Game Young Player of the Year will be between Dawson Devoy (Bohemian FC), Ross Tierney (Bohemian FC), and Colm Whelan (UCD) while the First Division Player of the Year shortlist features Ryan Brennan (Shelbourne FC) along with UCD duo Liam Kerrigan (UCD) and Whelan (UCD).