Dean Kiely Out Of International Retirement

West Brom shot-stopper Dean Kiely reveals why he decided to come out of international retirement for the Republic of Ireland team this week.

'I'm absolutely thrilled to be back in the Republic of Ireland squad and I'm really excited about the forthcoming friendlies against Serbia and Colombia.

'When I decided to quit international football in 2003 it was the right thing to do at the time. I'd been in the squad for five years and had just eight caps. I was fiercely proud of representing my country, but I made the choice I did to help prolong my career.

'When you are part of a squad like that you have the extra training and travelling as well as the games, and I just decided the best thing for me was to retire. Ironically it's probably that decision that has enabled me to come back into the reckoning now. I'm 37 but I'm in really good shape.

'I was contacted by Liam Brady and asked whether I would reconsider my decision on retirement. I always think that if something feels right you should go for it, and that's what I've done now. It was something I was very excited about. It had been a very difficult decision in the first place to quit, so it was great to be given the opportunity to become involved again.'

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