GOALKEEPER Jon Kennedy knew that Accrington Stanley were going places when he signed up - but he never knew how quickly they wanted to get there.
The 22-year-old came to the Reds from Sunderland just before the start of their Conference campaign. And Kennedy has managed to make his mark, seizing a first team spot after regular keeper Jamie Speare was sent off at Aldershot in the first game of the season.
"When I first signed although Coley told me how ambitious the club were, I don't think I ever realised just how ambitious they were," said the Stanley shot-stopper. "I knew Accrington were in the Conference for the first time and wanted to do well but I have never known a club as ambitious to do well.
"I expect a few people at the start of the season would have a joke about us and whether we would do well or not but I think a few teams will be taking notice of us now."
Kennedy has been impressed with what he has seen so far at the Interlink Express Stadium - and knows a play-off spot is more than a possibility.
"I can't believe the side we have here. The likes of Lutel, Paul Mullin, Rory and the rest are good enough to play in the league. When I was on loan at Blackpool I remember watching them beat Torquay 5-0 and thinking what a bad team Torquay were - Accrington are better than that. There are far worse teams than us in the Football League."
After switching from Worksop to Sunderland, Kennedy is keen to return to full-time football.
"I would love to play full-time again. That is one of the reasons I was desperate to come here as Coley talked about the possibility of going full-time."
And he can see it happening as Stanley continue to make an impact towards the top of the Conference.
"I don't think there are that many teams as good as us in the Conference - I don't think we have much to worry about as long as we beat the teams in the middle or bottom end of the table. What has surprised me is some teams haven't been as well-organised as I thought they would have been.
"But we haven't come up against the likes of Chester and Hereford yet. That will be a big test for us. They are the games we want to be playing in and winning and I think only once we have played them, will we know how good we are."
And he knows he can't afford any slip-ups with Speare waiting in the wings. "Jamie is a good lad. He has helped me and we have been training together. He is very supportive."
