Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Kelly scored his first senior international goal in the 3-1 defeat by France in June's friendly
ByDavid MohanBBC Sport NI journalist- Published13 minutes ago
Northern Ireland midfielder Paddy Kelly may still just be in the early stages of his career, but is hoping to push on after a productive season.
The 21-year-old has become a key figure for League One side Barnsley, playing every game so far this season where he has become vice-captain.
His move to the Tykes last season after three years at West Ham United, with one season on-loan at Doncaster Rovers, has proven to be a catalyst for the Portstewart man who will celebrate his birthday during the upcoming window which begins for Northern Ireland on Friday, when they travel to face Georgia [17:00 BST].
Kelly's performances for the League One club caught the eye of international boss Michael O'Neill who handed him his debut in last November's 1-0 win over Luxembourg, while his first international goal came in the 3-1 defeat by France in Lille back in June.
"I had a good year at club level, got my first senior international start and first goal, so it was a good year for me," he reflected when speaking to BBC Sport NI's Stephen Watson.
"It was a proud moment for me as it's something I've been working on throughout the youth system at Club NI.
"Tommy Wright would have given us the example with the under-21s that there were lads Michael wasn't afraid to call up to the first team if you're doing well.
"The easy part is getting in, but the hardest part is staying in and doing well. There's good competition for places and that's only good for us going forward."
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The age profile of the current Northern Ireland squad is young with an average age of 24, a similar picture for Kelly at club level where giving youth a chance has been the vision of manager Conor Hourihane.
"We've quite a young team at Barnsley so it's quite similar to here where I'm an experienced player even though I'm young," Kelly added.
"It's been massive for me [playing regularly] and same last season as it probably led to me getting called up here.
"It's tough in the EFL, quite robust with so many games and a lot of Saturday-Tuesday [fixtures], especially around the Christmas period, so it's good to get playing that many games."
'New international schedule will be good to experience'
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Kelly is vice-captain at Barnsley this season
Having established himself at club level, the next step is to become a mainstay of the Northern Ireland team.
His start to life in Michael O'Neill's squad has been promising with that goal against France in a pre-World Cup friendly, and with a new Nations League campaign set to begin, the opportunity to build upon his four caps may well present itself over the coming weeks.
After Friday's trip to Georgia, Northern Ireland are back at Windsor Park on Monday, 28 September with Hungary the visitors. Then it's back on the road to face Ukraine in Trnava, Slovakia on Friday, 2 October before returning home once again for the return fixture against Georgia on Monday, 5 October.
The new-look schedule will ask questions of O'Neill's squad, but Kelly feels they will cope with the demands and have the ability to put points on the board.
"It's a new international schedule, so it will be good for us to experience that for the first time," he said.
"I think a lot of the lads will be used to it anyway because at the clubs you have periods like that where you play a game every three days, so I don't think it will be anything major, maybe just more travelling than you would do at your club. In terms of recovery, it will be similar.
"We have such quality in the squad and I love coming away and playing here as we have such good players, so hopefully we can put in the performances out on the pitch."
