Kelly is at the peak of his powers as he looks to replicate Crawley form in MK

Liam KellyLiam Kelly
Liam Kelly | MK Dons
The former Crawley Town midfielder hopes he can continue his form last season into his new surrounds

Liam Kelly has arrived at MK Dons at, what he feels, is the peak of his powers after the best season of his career.

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The 28-year-old embarked on quite a remarkable campaign last time out. Joining a Crawley Town side not expected to set the world alight, the Reds did quite the opposite - from sneaking into the play-offs on the final day of the season, to obliterating Dons in the semi-final by a historic margin, to winning the final. And through it all, Kelly was a key man.

Providing 19 goals involvements - 13 assists and six goals - the midfielder, who idolised Frank Lampard growing up, did not grab the headlines quite as often as team-mate Danilo Orsi, but those in the know had Kelly as the lead orchestrator. With his season culminating in promotion, scoring in the 2-0 win over Crewe Alexandra to send Crawley to League One, Kelly felt at the peak of his powers.

Seeing that Wembley winning side ransacked for parts though over the summer, Kelly’s move to Milton Keynes still raised eyebrows, just as former team-mate Laurence Maguire’s switch did a few week prior. So when the opportunity to play a very similar style of football came about, Kelly felt the decision to move made sense.

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“I've played in a lot of divisions, but last season I enjoyed my football the most probably since my days at Reading,” he explained. “I know what gets the best of me, and that was one of the biggest things to convince me to come to MK - I saw how the gaffer wants us to play, it was very similar to Crawley and that got the best out of me. This season, with our squad, I think it will get even more out of us.

“With the way last season ended, but how enjoyable the season was before that, we want to get our teeth into the new season and hopefully have another exciting one.”

Settling into things in his new surroundings, Kelly feels he has started life well at Dons. Out in Germany, Kelly said the time spent in each other’s pockets has been of huge benefit for he and the other new signings to integrate.

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He said: “We've had five or six days as a group, with each other 24/7, getting to know each other more than just as football team-mates. It helps knowing a few of the other players, but there are a lot of new lads so we're all in the same boat.

“It's a credit to the lads who were here last season, they've made us all feel really welcome. The culture and the environment the gaffer has built here is easy to integrate into.“

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