It's been a frustrating first few months of the campaign for Charlton's regular first choice goalkeeper Dean Kiely, with the Republic of Ireland international having to watch the Addicks' impressive start to the season from the sidelines while he recovers from a serious hand injury. Now fully fit, and with a handful of reserve team games under his belt, the 35-year-old is fully focussed on regaining his place between the sticks as soon as possible. Givemefootball's Mark Shail got the thoughts of Kiely ahead of this weekend's Premiership clash with Manchester United at the Valley.
Q:WHAT'S THE UPDATE ON YOUR FITNESS?
A:Thankfully I'm fully fit now and raring to go. I've got three or four reserve teams games under my belt and focussed on winning my place back in the side. Everywhere I've played in my career I've always chosen to go to clubs where I feel wanted because I've never been content with just being a squad player. So I'm eager to get back playing because I'm not used to missing many matches.
Q:TELL US ABOUT THE INJURY YOU SUFFERED?
A:I actually fractured and dislocated my finger in the same joint and it turned out to be quite a nasty injury. In fact because the joint was so unstable I had to have it pinned. I've had dislocated fingers many times in my career and it has never been too much of a problem – in fact you usually get them popped back in to place and quite often you don't even miss a training session. But this one was quite serious and it required some time on the sidelines to make sure it healed properly.
Q:YOU MUST HAVE BEEN IMPRESSED WITH THE CLUB'S START TO THE SEASON?
A:I'm certainly not surprised because I know exactly what we are capable of as a side. I feel we've gone past the stage of people wondering whether we are good enough to stay in this league – now we have to try and sustain the form we have shown over the last couple of seasons.
Q:HOW DO THE PLAYERS FEEL ABOUT ALAN CURBISHLEY BEING CONSTANTLY LINKED WITH OTHER JOBS?
A:We're pretty much used to it by now and don't take too much notice. At the end of the day he's the only one that can make that decision in the future. If an offer comes along that he feels is right for him and the security of his family then he may take it, who knows? Obviously we would like him to stay at Charlton but the wheels in football are always turning and managers do move to different clubs.
Q:WHY DO YOU THINK THERE ARE SO FEW BRITISH KEEPERS IN THE PREMIERSHIP AT PRESENT?
A:I just don't think they are getting the opportunity and are being overlooked in favour of foreign keepers. There are a lot of good British goalkeepers around but they are being forced to make their name in the lower leagues.
Q:AND YOU'RE A PLAYER WHO KNOWS ALL ABOUT PLAYING IN THE LOWER LEAGUE DURING YOUR YOUNGER DAYS?
A:Yes, en route to the Premiership I actually played and was promoted in every league outside the top flight. It gave me excellent grounding but young keepers just don't seem to be getting plucked from the lower leagues and given a chance in the Premiership any more. In some ways I think Premiership managers have got it wrong because these players would be really hungry to show what they could do if given the opportunity.
