O'Kelly glad to be part of it again...
THERE was a familiar face back at Banks's Stadium today as Richard O'Kelly made his return as first-team coach."It feels good to be back," said the former Saddlers' striker who made over 250 appearances for the club. "I've built up an excellent working relationship with Dean Smith during my previous spells here and hopefully we can continue where we left off.
"It was a tough decision to leave in the first place, but Dean has a good understanding of people and was willing to welcome me back, so I am delighted to be part of it again.
"I want to play my part in helping us to continue to build upon the foundations that have been laid here. It's a long-term project and we're building all of the time.
"It's about being patient and supportive and everyone here, from the Chairman down, has bought in to what we are trying to achieve. We want to create the right environment and the players that we recruit over the summer will have to buy into it too.
"Everyone is working together and I was delighted to see the way in which the second half of last season went for the club. It's a testament to the hard work and belief put in by the players and backroom staff."
O'Kelly, who departed Bristol City at the end of last week, is already looking forward to what the new season holds in store.
"The day when the fixtures for the new season are released is always exciting," he added. "There really are some mouth-watering matches to look forward to and some interesting local derbies with the likes of Wolves and Port Vale joining us in League One.
"Good things happen to me when I am at this club and it's great to be back. By the same token, the record books will show that when I'm here good things tend to happen to the club, so let's hope that it is a successful relationship going forward."
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