When Solihull Moors lost their top scorer, Josh Kelly, to AFC Wimbledon in the January transfer window last season, fans of the club were understandably devastated. Kelly had 14 goals in 28 appearances to his name for Moors at the time, all coming after his 11 strikes for the club in his debut season in the National League. Simply put, Kelly was the team’s main goal-getter.
Somewhat understandably, though, Craig Cope’s Wombles were tough to turn down. The lure of joining the London club appeared to be too strong, while the opportunity to finally ply his trade in the Football League is something Kelly understandably couldn’t resist. His move to Wimbledon hasn’t exactly gone to plan so far, though.
Pressure of replacing Ali Al-Hamadi got to him
While Kelly was excited to be linking up with a new club in the Football League, he probably underestimated the pressure that was on his shoulders at the time. After all, the former Maidenhead United man was essentially regarded as the replacement for Ali Al-Hamadi, a player the Dons sold to Ipswich Town, a club fans are considering backing for survival this season despite enticing Premier League odds of 8/11 suggesting the Iraq international’s side will struggle to stay up. The former Wycombe player was a huge hit for the Wombles, largely carrying the team on his shoulders, showcasing his immense potential every week, and scoring 23 goals in 42 appearances for the promotion-chasing club.
Kelly is capable of doing something similar, but it was a huge ask for a player who was experiencing his first taste of League Two football. Wimbledon’s faithful were hoping to see their new signing from Solihull hit the ground running and essentially replace Ali Al-Hamadi’s output. It didn’t come, though, with Kelly only managing to score twice since joining the club, with both goals coming at the latter stages of the season. Kelly showed glimpses, though, and while Wombles fans were far from writing him off just yet, there were question marks over whether or not he’s capable of making the step up to league football.
A pre-season under his belt will surely help
Arriving in January under tricky circumstances, given the huge blow Wimbledon were coming to terms with following the departure of their star man, Ali Al-Hamadi, it can’t have been easy for Josh Kelly, especially as he was being immediately tasked with firing his new club to promotion. Now, though, with a full pre-season under his belt, Kelly will be hoping to build on some of his impressive showings in a Wimbledon shirt and score the type of goals for the club that Solihull supporters will remember so well.
Already, Kelly has shown plenty of promise this summer, with goals against the likes of Met Police and Charlton Athletic resulting in plenty of optimism among the Wimbledon fan base. After all, this is a player who has shown quality already at times, but it just hasn’t really fallen for him in terms of goalscoring opportunities. As such, seeing Kelly in the goals already is an encouraging sign both fans of the club and Wimbledon manager Johnnie Jackson will surely be embracing. Kelly has goals in him; it’s just a case of the former Moors man finding his rhythm in a yellow and blue shirt. A full pre-season under his belt will certainly improve his chances, and as a few tidy finishes have already shown, Kelly looks hungry to silence any doubters and deliver the goods for the Dons this season.
Stevens’ and Pigott’s arrival takes pressure off
As we’ve already mentioned, when Josh Kelly arrived at AFC Wimbledon in January, he was tasked with filling the void left by arguably League Two’s best player at the time, Ali Al-Hamadi. The undoubted pressure that came with that potentially impacted Kelly, particularly as he failed to find the net for the Dons in the first few months of his career there. This season, though, the Wombles have more firepower at their disposal and won’t be so reliant on one player to deliver the goals they need to challenge for the play-offs.
With both Matty Stevens and Joe Pigott joining the club from Forest Green Rovers and Leyton Orient, respectively, Kelly has increased competition but also experienced a lack of pressure compared to when he first arrived at the club. With four strikers potentially sharing the goals around them, Kelly might be limited to the odd cameo off the bench and the occasional start, with Dons manager Jackson expected to rotate his strike force and keep them fresh for the gruelling schedule ahead.
(Image via https://x.com/SthLondonPress)For Kelly, while he does still have pressure to deliver given the club-record fee Wimbledon paid for him, Omar Bugiel, Joe Pigott, and Matty Stevens will also be expected to chip in with some important goals throughout the season. With that in mind, Josh Kelly could be one to watch in a Wimbledon shirt this season, particularly as the shackles will potentially be off, and he has three experienced League Two strikers alongside him to share the load.
Moors fans will be watching
While some Solihull Moors supporters won’t be following Josh Kelly’s performances at Wimbledon this season, there will be plenty of fans who will. Kelly is no longer at the club, but much like Callum Maycock, a player who has also departed the club for pastures new at Wimbledon, it’s hard to begrudge players for simply wanting to play at the highest level possible.
The Wombles have given numerous players a platform to impress in the past, and Josh Kelly appears to have everything in place to shine in League Two this season. As Moors witnessed on numerous occasions, Kelly is certainly capable of finally producing the goods for AFC Wimbledon this season.
