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Lloyd Kelly has revealed how last season’s visit to St James’ Park was a key factor his decision to join Newcastle United.
The 25-year-old played a full 90 minutes at left-back as AFC Bournemouth were denied a win through Matt Ritchie’s injury-time equaliser. Dominic Solanke’s opener was cancelled out by Anthony Gordon’s penalty before Antoine Semenyo put the Cherries 2-1 in front.
It was the first time Kelly had played at St James’ and it certainly left a lasting impression after he decided to join Newcastle on a free transfer months later.
“When we came up to play Newcastle last season you felt the atmosphere, you saw the size of the stadium, you felt the club,” Kelly told NewcastleWorld.
“Although I was on the opposing team, I still walked away thinking ‘this is a big club and this is where I want to be playing my football’. It is definitely a huge club and the fans are part of it.”
Another key reason why Kelly choose Newcastle was Eddie Howe, who signed the defender for Bournemouth from Bristol City for a £13million in 2019.
Kelly, however, only work under Howe for 12 months after the 46-year-old left the Vitality Stadium following their relegation from the Premier League.
Asked about Howe, Kelly said: “He played a big role. When you come into a new club, everybody is new but in my case it was a little bit different and it helped me feel at ease a little bit. It helps knowing the gaffer before coming to the club so it was a big part of my decision-making.
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“I’ve only been here a short amount of time but the principles and how he wants people to train and play is probably the same. He always demands a high standard from his players, he wants them to work hard and that’s what you have to buy into. Those key values are obviously the same.
“Like I said before, the principles and the way he wants his team to play may have adjusted a little bit and that’s something I’ll have to get used to for this pre-season to be able to go into the start of the season.
“There’s a couple of things to focus on in terms of getting up to speed with the way he wants to play but at the same time it’s good that I know what he expects of his players.”