By all accounts Stephen Kelly should have been playing at this summer’s World Cup Finals with Republic of Ireland had it not been for one of the most controversial international goals in recent years.
As it was Kelly enjoyed an extended break this summer but the heartbreak of missing out on events in South Africa did not deter the defender from enjoying the competition from afar.
“I had a really good summer even though it was obviously disappointing not to be involved in the World Cup," Kelly told fulhamfc.com on Tuesday morning. “The bright side of that was that I had a longer time off. It was the first time in a few years that I’ve had an extended holiday over the summer break.
“I watched all of the World Cup. It’s hard not to because you kind of get sucked into it. It was very entertaining. I think the games were disappointing for the English fans but there was a lot of very good football and Spain were the right team to win in the end.”
Fulham’s players are now looking forward to welcoming a new manager to the Club following Roy Hodgson’s departure this summer, and Kelly is hoping the Club's recent progress will continue unabaited over the coming seasons.
“It was a bit of a bolt out of the blue,” said Kelly of Hodgson’s departure. “Obviously there was a lot of media speculation when we were away. For him it was probably a hard opportunity to turn down and you’ve got to take your hat off and say he’s done so well for us here.
“It would have been nice for him to stay and continue the good work but everybody’s now looking forward to a new manager coming in. It will be a fresh start and hopefully when someone comes in they can continue with the progress we’ve made over the last two years.”
Fulham play their first competitive pre-season friendly games this week against Brentford and Bournemouth| before heading to Sweden on Monday, a trip that Kelly believes will stand Fulham in good stead when they travel to Bolton for the first match of the new campaign on Saturday 14th August.
“We’ve been back a week and a half now and the first game has come around already. It should be a good test on Wednesday night and it will be a tough game but everybody is looking forward to getting some minutes under their belts.
“I’ve been there [Sweden] a couple of times before on pre-season. I’ve never been to Varberg but I’ve been to Sweden on my earlier pre-season trips with Tottenham and it’s a beautiful place that provides us with everything we need for a good pre-season. We’ll be away from everything and you get the group together and do everything you need to do to get your fitness up to scratch for the new season.”