Spurs stories | Stephen Kelly - joining Spurs at 16, a goal against Villa, and back at the club 25 years later

It’s 25 years since Stephen Kelly first walked through the gates at our previous training ground, Spurs Lodge in Chigwell, for a trial. He joined us aged 16 in January, 2000 and eventually departed for Birmingham City in 2006. After spells at Fulham, Reading and Rotherham over the next 11 years, he called it day in 2017. Now a popular pundit on BBC Radio 5 Live, Sky Sports and RTÉ, ‘Steo’ is a familiar face for fans on SPURSPLAY, where he’s a regular on Inside Spurs and our Review Show.

In his latest interview for the Official Matchday Programme, Andy Greeves caught up with the former Republic of Ireland defender, made 44 senior appearances for us between 2003 and 2006. He scored twice in our colours, which included a strike in our 5-1 Premier League win over Aston Villa on 1 May, 2005.

How did you come to join us as a teenager back in January 2000?

Stephen: "I was 16 when I joined Tottenham. I’d been on trial at a few clubs in the UK before that, but I never felt that I wanted to join them. Then I came to Tottenham for a week and I absolutely loved it. I knew that Spurs was the club I wanted to join. It’s like buying a home… I walked into the club and everything just felt like the right fit - the staff, the surroundings. We were at the old training ground, Spurs Lodge, at the time and I really liked it. It was a small training ground and there was the close proximity to the first team. You could see them training. There was a real feeling of being part of the club, the whole set-up. I was 15 when I initially came over for the trial at Spurs. I turned 16 in the September (1999) and I didn’t move over until January 2000."

Before you made your Spurs senior debut, you went out on loan to Southend United, Queens Park Rangers and Watford. What were those experiences like?

Stephen: "They were three very different loans but they were all incredible for me. I was playing as a centre-back when I went to Southend. It was a baptism of fire, playing in the lower leagues, especially dealing with the physicality of men’s football. But that was really what I needed at that time. I was only there for about six weeks before Tottenham recalled me, but it was a really positive time. When I was back at Tottenham, Queens Park Rangers came in for me, who were playing a league higher than Southend. Tottenham were exploring the option of transitioning me into a full-back at the time. They saw the position as being a better fit for me with my pace and athleticism. So, I went there and I got to play right-back. It couldn’t have gone any better. I went there in the March and we didn’t lose any games in which I played during the regular season to make it into the play-offs. Sadly, we lost in the Second Division Play-Off Final to Cardiff, which was a big shame. But it didn’t detract from what an incredible experience it was for me, including starting in a final at the Millennium Stadium. The following season, I was loaned to Watford, who were in the equivalent of the Championship today. So that was another step up for me and a great time. I then made my Spurs debut against Charlton at White Hart Lane on 28 December, 2003. I think I’m right in saying that, in the process, I became the first player to have played in the top four divisions in English football in a single calendar year."

When did you discover you’d be making your Spurs debut?

Stephen: "I knew before the Boxing Day game in 2003 I’d be playing on the 28th as I was told by David Pleat, who was our interim manager at the time. Stephen Carr was suspended for the game on the 28th. I think the manager had seen my progression through the leagues during the year and didn’t have any concerns about starting me for my Spurs debut in the Premier League. It was amazing to make my debut at the Lane. I was a bit nervous going into it but equally, I had played a lot of football already that year, which also helped me see it as just another game."

Just your eighth Spurs appearance came in a north London derby against Arsenal at the Lane in April, 2004. What are your memories of that one?

Stephen: "To be able to play in a north London derby so early on in my Tottenham career was an amazing experience. Obviously, you look back with disappointment too due to the fact that was the day Arsenal won the league at White Hart Lane. In all fairness, we did well to come from 2-0 down to get a 2-2 draw on the day against an Arsenal team that were head and shoulders above all the teams in the league that season, not just ourselves. It pains me to say that as a Tottenham man, but we can acknowledge teams when they are on a higher level – and obviously, they went unbeaten in the league all season. Playing against them at that young age certainly showed me the absolute highest levels in football and the sort of levels I could strive to reach. There was quite a difference in approach from Spurs around that time. We started to recruit younger players... some of the best young players around at the time. We went on to sign Michael Carrick, Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone, Sean Davis, Wayne Routledge, Michael Brown, Andy Reid, Michael Dawson… youngsters who all had big reputations at the time."

Who were your best mates at Spurs?

Stephen: "Coming through the academy, Dean Marney and Johnnie Jackson were good mates of mine as were Mark Hughes and Mark Yeates. Dean and Johnnie would stay over at mine, as I lived close to the training ground. When Aaron Lennon and Tom Huddlestone joined, they were part of a group of us who always used to hang around together. In the senior team, Robbie Keane was someone I knew for a long time at club and international level and Reidy (Andy Reid) too."

The 2004/05 season must be one you look back on positively, given your 23 appearances for us that campaign?

Stephen: "After making your debut it becomes a case of ‘Can you become a regular in the team?’ That’s what it’s all about isn’t it? So yes, to go and get more regular game time that second season was very pleasing for me. Martin Jol came in as manager after a few months. Sometimes, you just get on with a particular manager and Martin seemed to have seen something in me he liked and gave me the opportunity to play. And hopefully, I repaid him with my performances. I really enjoyed my football that season playing in a good, youthful side."

You got your first Spurs goal that season away to your future club, Birmingham City, in April, 2005. What do you remember about that one?

Stephen: "I remember Michael Carrick finding me in the wide area. I was able to move the ball in behind Stan Lazaridis I think it was, and then I hit it into the bottom corner past my future teammate Maik Taylor. It was an amazing feeling to score my first Premier League goal and my first goal for Spurs, especially having come through the ranks and having that affiliation with the club. It was really special. I remember Jermain, Robbie and all the boys jumping on top of me, knowing what it meant to me to score. We ended up drawing 1-1. I think Darren Carter scored for Blues."

A month later you scored in a 5-1 win over Aston Villa at White Hart Lane. Was that one of the best team performances you were involved with during your time at Spurs?

Stephen: "Absolutely. We played so well that day and it was great to have been part of that performance. Everything clicked... the way we passed the ball, the way we moved and of course, scoring five goals against any team in the Premier League is a good achievement. For me, as a full-back, it was incredible playing alongside a centre-back like Ledley King. It’s rare you get the opportunity to play alongside someone who is as good as Ledley and it gave me confidence as a full-back to be able to get forward. My now-wife Helga was in the crowd watching that day, so that added to how special a match it was for me. I remember looking up to her after I scored, which is a great memory we both have."

Can you describe the goal for us?

Stephen: "I passed to Simon Davies, who played the ball to Sean Davis. Sean saw my run on the underlap and he flicked the ball into my path. I brought it down on my chest and I moved towards the Villa goal, no-one really came towards me. I was able to hold off my marker and then I flicked it home at the near post past Stefan Postma. It was a nice interchange that led to the goal. It was typical of what we were doing in the match. Everything seemed to be paying off!"

Your goal made it 5-1 and followed quite a strike from your compatriot Andy Reid?!

Stephen: "That’s right. He scored an absolute belter to make it 4-1 - a left-footer from outside the penalty area. As I saw at club and international level, Reidy always had the ability to produce a moment of magic like that."

What was it like making your senior debut for the Republic of Ireland debut against Chile in May 2006?

Stephen: "It was really special. It was a wonderful acknowledgement of the three seasons I’d had in the first team at Spurs. I was on the periphery of the Irish squad for a while. I’d been in the squad on five or six occasions without actually playing, so I was chomping at the bit! There was a huge amount of competition for places in the team at the time. Stephen Carr, who had moved from Spurs to Newcastle, was one of the best right-backs in the Premier League at the time. Ireland have always been blessed with full-backs, when you think of players like Steve Staunton, Denis Irwin and Chris Hughton and back then, we also had Steve Finnan, Gary Kelly, Ian Harte and John O’Shea. Steve Staunton was the Irish manager at the time and, a bit like what was happening at Tottenham, he was keen to bring younger players into the team to get them going. Luckily, I had a really good run in the squad and in the team after that for the next 10 or 11 years."

Was it a hard decision to leave Spurs for Birmingham in the summer in 2006?

Stephen: "Definitely. When I joined Tottenham, I fell in love with the club straight away. The club was always going to hold that pull for me. It was the same with London… I’d moved there at the age of 16 and developed from a boy to a man living there. It was hard to leave. But you get to a point where you have to do the right thing for your career. I wanted to be a regular in a Premier League team every week. Birmingham had shown interest in me a season earlier and when they came in for me again, I met with Steve Bruce and he really sold the club to me. I also believed he was a manager who could improve me as a player. The move to Birmingham ended up being a brilliant one for me. I played regularly and I was the only outfield player to play every minute of every match of a season (2007/08) when I was there."

Fast-forwarding in your career, what have you been up to since retiring from playing?

Stephen: "I did my coaching badges but I haven’t ended up going down that road. I ended up getting into the football media, which was quite unexpected. Things took off quickly. It’s great getting to matches regularly on weekends, still having that active link with football, but without the pressures of being a coach or a manager and still getting to spend plenty of time with my family – something I didn’t really get when I was playing. I work for BBC Radio 5 Live, Sky Sports and RTÉ. I’m covering Premier League, international and Champions League football. And I’ve been regularly involved at Spurs with SPURSPLAY, which has been fantastic given the affection I still have for the club."