Kelly keen to kick on in second half of season

Having last featured for the club in the 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest back in early September, he has endured no fewer than 12 weeks of rehab in order to get to this point.

With Gary O’Neil wary of placing too much pressure on his captain's return, admitting in the latest pre-match press conference that he will have to “make a call as the games come” on Kelly's availability, it’s positive news for the defender as he nears full fitness.

Speaking this week, the 24-year-old began by providing an update on his injury and admitted that he’s had to focus on other areas to influence the team across his absence.

“Thankfully, it's all good,” he began.

“I think it's been 12 weeks in total. It's been slow and fast at the same time, but I’m pleased to be back fit and I'm ready to go.

“The break probably helped. If you look back, I’ve been out for about nine or ten games with the break. If that wasn’t there, I’d probably have missed double that.

“Overall, I’d probably say that if there was a time to be injured, it’s probably worked in my favour and I think, as the years have gone on, I've learned that you can influence things in different ways when you’re injured.

“The past two years of being captain, I think I've developed in that area a lot and it’s helped me during difficult periods of being injured.” 

Kelly went on to discuss how important mental toughness is when battling through a long-term injury, something which he luckily cites as one of his strengths. 

“I felt good at the start of the season. I felt like I was up to speed and at a good intensity, also playing good football.

“Therefore, when I got injured, it hit me a little bit. Now I'm back, I feel how I was at the beginning of the campaign.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that, once I’m back, I'll be able to continue that form from before.

“I think mental strength is a by-product of your experiences, no matter whether that’s in football or in life in general.

“Someone’s mental toughness comes from the experiences and challenges they’ve had. Thankfully, that’s something I can say is my strong area.

“If I need to overcome something or there’s a challenge, I'll find ways to get through that.”  

The defender is now keen to push on, having missed all but two games of O’Neil’s interim reign. 

With the 39-year-old being appointed as the permanent head coach over the World Cup break, Kelly admitted he’s been doing all he can to get up to speed with O’Neil’s style of coaching away from the training ground.

“It’s difficult not being out there training and going through the specific drills or game scenarios because that’s probably where you learn the most,” Kelly said.

“I've had to find different ways, whether that’s via videos or by speaking with coaches, to get that information in those areas.

“I think it’s an important part of being injured, taking your mind away from the situation and focusing on different things. There’s still plenty you can do to take on information.

“It also involves more self-awareness and noticing when you’re struggling that has helped me. Hopefully now I can just push on and have a good second half of the season.” 

Read Gary O'Neil's latest injury update here.