Fair play Alan Kelly - corkman makes international debut
welll done corkman alan kelly who made his internetional referring debut last week, reffing the eng U21 game
report here from da new improved fai website
Wednesday night was not just an important occasion for Irishmen at Lansdowne Road, it was also a big night for referee Alan Kelly, who took charge of his first ever international match.
The Cork official was in charge of England's under 21 match against Italy at Valley Parade in Bradford. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, and Kelly said it was a great occasion.
"I really enjoyed it. There were no major problems during the game so it went very well." Leeds United striker Alan Smith was in the England side and he upset the Italian defenders on a number of occasions with his robust play, but Kelly felt he dealt with him well. "He's a bit of a handful, but like I said, there were very few serious incidents so, for the most part, the game flowed.
"To be honest, the game just flew by, but I took in the occasion before and after the match and I'm looking forward to my next international.
" That match will be at the end of April when he travels to Denmark to officiate in the European Under 17 Championships and he is hoping to be awarded a senior international in the future.
"You can be selected for a senior match at any time so it's always a possibility. Hugh Byrne, John Feighery and John McDermott have all been in charge of senior matches so, hopefully, I will get a chance someday."
The 26-year-old also paid a glowing tribute to the FAI for the work they have done to help Irish referees win appointments to FIFA lists. "Three and a half years ago, the majority of referees in the eircom League were over 35, meaning that it was unlikely they would ever be appointed to the FIFA list (FIFA referees can be no older than 45), so the FAI opened a School of Excellence to bring younger referees through. 22 of us progressed and now myself, Ian Stokes and some of the others have officiated eircom League games. A few years ago, it would have been unheard of for a 26 or 27-year old to be refereeing in the League. Now it is far more common.
" Kelly began his career as a referee in the Cork Schoolboy League in 1994 before progressing to the AUL and Munster Senior League. He was appointed to the eircom League panel at the beginning of the 1999/2000 season and refereed his first match in the Premier Division last season.
