MARIAN KELLO had been on trial so long he may have started to wonder if he had done something wrong. The Slovak agreed to an early release from his contract at Hearts last year and would give evidence of his abilities at the likes of Ipswich Town and Doncaster Rovers, impressing only for both clubs to allow him to leave without much conviction.
There have been brief stays with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Romanian club Astra Giurgiu too, but it is a return to Scotland with St Mirren which has perhaps offered the 31-year-old his best chance of rehabilitating his career.
He has been recruited out of necessity since Christopher Dilo is expected to be out for three weeks with a knee injury and Kello has only signed a contract until January. His reputation has been lasting, though. Danny Lennon, St Mirren's manager, yesterday referred to the Slovak as one of the best goalkeepers to play in the top flight in the past five years, and is likely to afford Kello his first start for the Paisley club against Dundee United. Having been training in his homeland at the pleasure of MFK Kosice, he will appreciate the chance to get back to work.
That contributing to a win would only cause further harm to Hearts has not been lost on him either. Kello left Tynecastle after being frozen out by Vladimir Romanov - manager Paulo Sergio was ordered not to pick him after the goalkeeper reportedly resisted a transfer to Austria Vienna - but his feelings towards the club have not hardened. His anxiety over the realties facing the Tynecastle side has been placed in context, though, given the concern Kello has for his own future. "It is not my fault where Hearts are now," he said. "I need to look at myself because they won't help me, they can't help me."
It was not so long ago that the goalkeeper would have accepted assistance from just about anyone. He had been reluctant to return home but found training at Kosice and treated questions over his readiness to face United as an affront, although he did concede his move to Paisley was made with little preparation. His poor mum only found out about it when he phoned her from the airport. "You don't have time for your family [playing football]," said Kello. "I came here and didn't say goodbye to my mum and my father; I just made a call to say 'I'm going' and that was it."
Lennon was spared having to make a similar call, with an improvement in St Mirren's form allowing the manager to step away from the exit and back on to firmer ground. The Paisley side have restored the 15-point gap between them and Hearts but also a faith in Lennon - his position having become vulnerable after a start to the season which comprised just one point in six league games and a meek surrender of their Scottish League Cup crown.
"I'm not naive enough to think that the run we were on was not a sackable offence," said the St Mirren manager, who is also without Gary Teale today. "But you adjust to that situation and the staff and I still had a laugh during that blip. I went to my mam and said 'Away and put a bet on me to be the next manager to get sacked and make yourself a couple of quid' but she just said: 'Son, Ladbrokes stopped taking bets four weeks ago'. You've got to be lighthearted; it helps you cope."
St Mirren's revived league form has made an impression on United too, and Paul Paton does not need to see a familiar face playing for the Paisley side to understand that. "They have some good players and that is shown by the fact that Gary Harkins can't get in their team at the moment," said the United midfielder. "I played alongside him at Partick Thistle and when you have quality like that on the bench then you know you have a decent side."
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