Former Portsmouth, Blackburn and Ipswich coach returns to club football with Hawks

Keeley, who most recently held the same position at League One Ipswich earlier this season prior to ex-Blues boss Paul Cook's sacking in December, has taken up a role with the Westleigh Park club.

The 60-year-old recently opened the John Keeley Goalkeeper School, which he runs sessions from Worthing FC's Woodside Road ground and at Hawks.

Now, alongside his coaching school, Keeley has secured a return to club football where he will work with Doswell's first-team goalkeepers Ross Worner and Charlie Searle, who recently dual-signed with Wessex League Premier Baffins Milton Rovers.

The Hawks boss revealed it was the Worthing-based former Brighton goalkeeper who initiated contact with him and he said it was a 'no-brainer' to bring a coach of Keeley’s standing on board.

Doswell said: ‘He (John) was Ipswich coach (goalkeeper) this season with Paul Cook, so we’re getting a Championship/League One goalkeeping coach.

‘He rang me, again, we’ve been talking for three or four weeks. He won’t be here on match-days but he’ll be here for Tuesdays and Thursdays for training - it was a no-brainer for us to bring John onto the staff.

‘He does some stuff in Worthing, he does some stuff here at Havant (goalkeeper coaching), I think, by his own admission, he missed the first-team element of training. He’ll come in and work with Ross (Worner) and Charlie (Searle) and I know he’s really, really looking forward to coming.’

Keeley enjoyed two spells as Pompey goalkeeping coach after first arriving to work in the club's academy in 2007.

Promoted to first-team level in 2010, he would remain for three years before going onto work at Blackburn Rovers, hometown club Brighton and Chinese Super League side Guangzhou City.

Keeley returned to Fratton Park when Cook was at the helm in 2016 before leaving last summer as part of head coach Danny Cowley's backroom staff clear-out last summer.

Meanwhile, Hawks' Scott Rendell has been promoted to Doswell's coaching staff. The forward, who regularly works with the club's crop of attackers during training, is currently working towards attaining both UEFA A and B licence badges.

Rendell will continue to be available to play alongside assuming striker coach responsibilities at Hawks.

Forward James Roberts has secured a short-term move away from Westleigh Park, initially on a one-month loan to National League South rivals Hampton & Richmond, while midfielder Nicky Bailey has departed – they follow Theo Widdrington who completed a permanent move to National League strugglers King’s Lynn earlier this week.