Welsh Premier League Football - Sun finally shines on Kellaway's career

FOR all the text messages Geoff Kellaway has sent and received, one will stick in his memory forever.
Two friends from Wales, Bangor City's Jamie Reed and Aberystwyth team-mate Luke Sherbon, had decided to try their football luck with Victorian Premier League club Dandenong Thunder and thought Kellaway should join them.
"I had a text message, 'Do you fancy coming out to Australia to play?'," Kellaway said.
"I couldn't turn the chance down. I thought I'd come to get some sun."
He hasn't seen the sun as often as he might have hoped, but Kellaway's football career is shining brightly with a stunning elevation from the VPL after six games with Dandenong to an A-League contract and debut with Melbourne Victory.
Coming off the bench on Sunday to create history as the A-League's 500th player, Kellaway made an immediate impact with his dashing runs down the right wing and won the penalty that led to Victory's second goal in the 2-2 draw with North Queensland Fury at AAMI Park.
"It's all come around so quick," he said.
"One minute I was back in Wales and the next I've flown over and playing for Dandenong and we had the trial game against Victory and the next minute I'm playing professionally. It's been all so quick and just a big shock, but I'm loving it."
The speed that Kellaway's life has been transformed is stunning, considering the option of playing full-time professional football had never been available for the 24-year-old, who was born in England and moved to Wales as a teenager.
Working as a bathroom fitter, laying tiles and doing plumbing, Kellaway's football dream was limited to playing with the Seasiders in the Welsh Premier League.
A Manchester United fan, Kellaway admitted he had never heard of Victory or any of the A-League teams until he arrived in Australia.
"To play professionally, I'm buzzing, to be honest," Kellaway said.
"(Victory is) one of the best teams in the league and that's all I really knew. I never thought I'd be playing A-League. It's a good league, very fast and I'm just getting up to full fitness and the speed of play is a lot quicker."
Kellaway is carving out his place at Victory, albeit as a short-term injury-replacement deal to cover Matthew Kemp.
Promoted from Aberystwyth's reserves to become a first-team regular, Kellaway has also played in the Cymru Alliance with Penrhyncoch. He was voted into the Welsh Premier team of the season this year and had scored 24 goals from 98 (+16) domesic league appearances before departing for Australia.
Meanwhile, Reed and Sherbon are both back with their respective Welsh clubs.
Photo: Kellaway pictured during his Melbourne debut.