Having bided his time up to this point, Georgie Kelly is now making his mark in English football.
The Donegal native joined Rotherham United in January, earning the move after a stellar season with Bohemians in the League of Ireland. A period of adjustment would follow, with the striker making only one substitute appearance (scoring in the process) as his side secured promotion from League One.
While he has yet to nail down a place in the side, Kelly is certainly making a bigger impact during the current campaign. He has appeared in nine of the club's 13 Championship fixtures. He has scored a couple of goals along the way, including the winner against Huddersfield Town at the weekend.
Rotherham United boss throws League of Ireland shade
Rotherham United have recently appointed Matt Taylor as manager, replacing Paul Warne after he opted to move to Derby County.
While he has only been at the club for a couple of weeks, he is already impressed with Georgie Kelly.
Speaking after the player's goal against Huddersfield, he admitted that he was already becoming a 'cult hero' at the New York Stadium. However, he also threw some shade at the League of Ireland in the process (h/t Irish Mirror).
Rotherham Utd boss Matt Taylor on the growing cult-hero status of Georgie Kelly... #RUFC pic.twitter.com/qF0I3CZDpp
— Rob Staton (@robstaton) October 17, 2022
I've been here for two minutes. He's still incredibly raw.
He’s come from Ireland which, with no disrespect to Irish football, is the equivalent of non-league level in the English pyramid.
Suddenly, he's learning his trade in the Championship. That's so difficult for him to do. I want people to be patient with him.
There'll be times where people judge him the other way and he won't always get the plaudits. In terms of an attitude and a physicality, we've got something to work with.
He already feels like that cult hero.
While a throwaway comment, this one is unlikely to go down well with League of Ireland supporters.
English clubs are looking towards the league with increasing frequency in recent times, with a huge number of players making the move across the Irish Sea in recent times. That hardly points to a lack of quality in the division.
Georgie Kelly will be hoping that his recent form will be enough to earn a place in the starting XI moving forward, with Rotherham aiming to move even further up the table after rising to 16th after the weekend's games.
With the likes of Chiedozie Ogbene and Peter Kioso also currently in the squad, they are one for Irish fans to keep an eye on in the months ahead.
SEE ALSO: Micah Richards' VAR Opinion Is The Perfect Example Of Pitfalls Of 'Fan Punditry'
