Kiely had a long playing career, hanging up his gloves at West Bromwich Albion in 2011 having made more than 750 senior appearances and earned 11 caps for the Republic of Ireland.
He joined Palace back in 2018, and has worked with some of the club’s finest goalkeepers in Julian Speroni, Vicente Guaita and Dean Henderson – as well as mentoring the younger talents like Joe Whitworth and Owen Goodman.
“I was 41 when I finished playing, and I’ve found coaching the closest thing to playing that you can get to,” Kiely explained of his continued passion for getting out on the grass every day.
“I was never going to coach. I was going to play, stop, and go and do something else, but you don’t realise, towards the end of your career, you’re coaching every day when you speak to younger players.
“We take huge credit from the Joe and Owen situation. The next best thing to playing is coaching young players, helping them and developing them. We try to provide an environment for them to be their best, and right now in the goalkeeping department, we’re in a really good spot.
“But we can’t stand still – we have to move forwards – and so I say to all of my goalkeepers: ‘I’m trying to replace you – and it’s your job to make my task impossible.’ If I can’t replace them, it means they’re doing a good job, and that’s the way it should be.
“We’re all supporting and helping each other. A goalkeeper plays at his best when he feels comfortable and he feels confident. It’s down to me; these players have to thrive in the environment, and that’s down to the coach.”
Happy birthday Dean, from everyone at Crystal Palace!