King's Lynn Town midfielder showing why he was brought to The Walks ahead of FA Trophy clash against Hereford
Sam Kelly is starting to show just why King’s Lynn Town swooped for his services over the summer as the midfielder prepares to face one of his former managers tomorrow.
The Linnets take on Hereford in the FA Trophy at The Walks and the tie will see the 26-year-old lock horns against Russell Slade - the man responsible for giving Kelly his chance at Grimsby in League Two.
Although Kelly’s will be the first to admit that his King’s Lynn career has yet to hit full throttle, there is no doubting what he has to offer the club.
The playmaker was involved in both of the Linnets’ goals during the 2-1 victory at Southport with him producing an absolute peach of a pass for Chris Henderson’s winning goal on Merseyside.
“I perhaps haven’t played as much as I would have liked to, but I’m happy to play my part for the team when I’m asked too,” said Kelly.
“When you are doing as well as we are it’s not about the individual side, it’s about the team.
“It’s brilliant to be a part of and I can’t remember ever playing in a side where we’ve tried to keep so much of the ball.
“That’s the way Ian (Culverhouse) wants us to play and I can’t see many sides scoring a better goal than Mazza’s (Adam Marriott) last Saturday. That is the sort of stuff we have producing all season.
“It has been a learning curve for me too. The way we pass the ball gives players like Chris (Henderson) and myself the flexibility to make runs and be a little bit more expressive.”
Kelly, who knew both Ian Culverhouse and Michael Clunan during his time at Norwich City, has compared the Lynn squad to that of a little family.
“I’ve been involved in full-time football for a lot of my career, but you won’t find a better squad than this anywhere.
“We are like a little family and there isn’t a bad egg in it. There’s no clicks and everyone wants everyone else to do well. I honestly think that’s why we are doing so well.
“The Gaffer is always telling us to take one game at a time. If you start looking ahead, it’s easy to lose focus.
“In terms of where we can go, I’m quietly confident. We know what we are capable of as a team.”
On the prospect of facing his former boss, Kelly added: “I was with Russell at Grimsby, he’s a good guy, and it’s another big game for us at home.”
Lynn will again be without injured defenders Ryan Fryatt and Chris Smith, but welcome back Michael Gash following his one-game suspension last weekend.
The winners of tomorrow’s tie will receive £3750 in prize money with the losers collecting £1250. If the tie ends all-square the replay will be at Edgar Street on Tuesday night.
