Keeper Kelly closes in on ultimate reward

If the name Rory Kelly is familiar to you it’s probably because he has been one of the domestic league’s up and coming players over the past few seasons. He signed for Derry City from Buncrana Hearts at the start of 2010 and spent two seasons providing cover for Ger Doherty and Eugene Ferry, often watching from the bench as his team mates won the First Division title and then made an impressive return to the top flight, finishing third in the league in 2011.

The breakthrough at Derry never came for Rory and in 2012 he joined Finn Harps, making his league debut in a 3-1 win over Longford Town on 14th April. He made four league appearances last year and sat, unused, on the bench another nine times. It can be tough trying to get an even break in the League of Ireland.

Towards the end of the season Rory returned to Liverpool where he is studying Journalism at John Moores University. For the moment at least, he was putting his energy into another aspect of the beautiful game. But before long he found himself working an another approach to being a professional football player, and it was one which has brought him to the final of the Samsung ‘Win a pro contract’ competition.

“I happened to see a few people liking it on Facebook, so I applied for it”, he explained when we caught up with him earlier this week. “Initially I thought it was all to do with votes and that I didn't stand much chance, so I didn't think much of it until I got a letter telling me I had been selected for the first trial in Liverpool.”

In terms of fitting this new challenge in with his studies, Rory appreciated a bit of good fortune. As he explained, “Living in Liverpool has actually made it easier to an extent, as the first two trials were in Liverpool and Manchester, and the semi-final was in Swindon.”

Swindon is a key location in all this as Swindon Town manager, Paulo Di Canio is one of two managers offering a year-long professional contract as the grand prize. Leyton Orient manager, Russell Slade, is the other. Needless to say, it’s a prize that could change the Donegal man’s life and, as one might expect, it has attracted an impressive standard of applicant.

“To be honest, in the first trial I didn't think the standard was too good. I felt quite comfortable at it and didn't really get tested. However, the second trial was a massive shock to the system as I was on the opposing end of a 6-1 scoreline. Since then, as expected, the standard has only got better and the semi-final was an excellent game. Compared to the league of Ireland, it is perhaps a bit slower and less physical, but some of the football on display was fantastic and you could really see that the majority of players were very good technically”.

Part of the deal is that the trials     and tribulations of those chasing the dream are filmed for an accompanying television series. So, is this Rory’s chance to find out how various Jungle celebrities must feel, or is it water off a duck’s back?

“I'm trying not to think about it too much”, he said. “I think taking my concentration away from the football would be the wrong thing to do, so I'm just putting it to the back of my mind. I'm not used to the whole being interviewed process though so I'm finding it a bit strange”.

We wondered if his experiences at Derry and Finn Harps had given him any advantage in helping to prepare for the pressure of being in the media spotlight?

“I think it has yeah. Obviously, being at a club like Derry, there was always attention on the club from the local media, and likewise at Finn Harps. But, honestly, it's something you try not to think about too much and just get on with what you're good at.

The semi-final was held at Swindon Town’s County Ground with two teams of eleven trialists facing off in front of both Di Canio and Slade. It was a case of twenty-two men in, and eleven men out, and Rory was one of those chosen to go forward to the last stage. That will consist of a game between the remaining trialists and a Leyton Orient selection which will take place at Orient’s Brisbane Road ground on 16th January. 

We wonder, if he is one of the chosen two winners, who he would prefer to play for - Di Canio or Slade. He laughs and admits, “I think everyone would say Di Canio. To be safe, I'll say I'd be delighted to play under either if it meant I had won a contract”.