Young defender aims to reignite career at Wimbledon after promising start
Sean Kelly was capped at Scotland Under-21 level and scored against his boyhood club Celtic, but he said that a fresh challenge south of the border was a key factor in his move to AFC Wimbledon.
The 22-year-old preferred to seek a new challenge in English football, rather than join another club in Scotland after leaving St Mirren, where he made almost 100 appearances.
“In Scotland I think I just went a bit stale,” said Sean, who was initially on trial here at Wimbledon. “I was looking for a new challenge and life experiences. As a younger man, it’s about moving on in life and kind of taking risks. That’s why I’ve come here. My first full-time team was St Mirren when I left school at 18. Being capped at Scotland Under-21 level was recognition of my performances in a collection of games over a period of time. Also, being a Celtic fan from Glasgow, scoring against Celtic was probably the biggest highlight of my career.
“It’s been great here so far. I have really enjoyed it as the boys have made me feel welcome, along with the management and staff. As the only Scottish boy in the team it is kind of weird to get used to that! ‘Bayzo’ calls me the ‘Mad Jock’, but he is great to have around the place. He is always full of enthusiasm, which is what you need in the morning!”
channel.You TubeA clip of Sean’s interview for Dons Player is now on our official
As Sean stated after signing, he watched AFC Wimbledon’s play-off glory at Wembley on television and the versatile defender is ready for the challenge of breaking into a successful team.
“I’m not daft and I recognise that the club did really well last season,” added Sean. “Obviously, a lot of the boys were part of getting the club promoted and they deserve a chance to stay in the team. Every footballer wants to play. I can play left-back or centre-back. I like to get forward from left-back and get on the ball because I’m quite attacking minded. I like my set-pieces and they are very important because a lot of goals are scored from them. If I can put in good deliveries then that can only benefit the team.”