Georgie Kelly was full of praise for Bohemians captain Keith Buckley as the Gypsies currently sit top of the League of Ireland table.
The Rotherham United forward highlighted the importance of Buckley to Bohemians, as the skipper returned to the club this year following a stint in Australia.
Kelly joined Rotherham in January 2022 following a phenomenal season with the Gypsies where he scored 26 goals in all competitions.
The Donegal native scored a late winner on his debut to guarantee promotion to the Championship for The Millers. However, due to a string of injuries, Kelly has managed three goals in 22 appearances this term, only starting four games.
Despite the stop-start nature of Kelly's season, Rotherham sit eight points clear of the relegation zone with 10 games to play. Kelly delved into the 'gap' between League of Ireland players compared to those applying their trade in the United Kingdom.
"I had a couple of injuries, the load over here is a lot heavier than I've been used to back in Ireland. Getting used to that, as it's my first year over here, hasn't been easy," Kelly told The Irish Mirror.
"Other than that, it's been as expected. See, the League of Ireland isn't a million miles away. There's a lot of players in the league, technically and ability wise, that are very close to being at this level. There's not that big of a difference.
"Some of the lads that have come over, like Dawson (Devoy) and Promise (Omochere), went straight in and are playing at a really good level. It's a sign that the gap is definitely narrowing."
Kelly admitted to keeping up to date with the League of Ireland, as he enjoys to see how his former sides are getting on.
The former Bohemians striker was full of praise for Gypsies boss Declan Devine and revealed he nearly signed for him at Derry City.
"I've been trying to keep up to date on LOI TV. Bohs have been on a good run, they look solid defensively. Decky (Devine) has them set up well. I'd love to see them do well and compete this year, the club deserves it, with the size of the club and the fanbase," said Kelly.
"I was close to signing for him a couple of times so I would have met Decky and spoke to him when he was at Derry. He's a great fella and I was delighted when I saw him getting the job because he deserved another chance in the league and he's showing that now."
Overall, Kelly highlighted the importance of Buckley to Bohemians and described how instrumental he was as a leader.
The 26-year-old labeled Buckley as "the best player I've ever played with" when commending his former teammate.
"He's a funny type of leader. I've played with a lot of players who are really vocal but Bucko is not that loud. You can sense Bucko's presence, he might not give out to you, but there's that little bit of fear around him because you know the standards that he sets," Kelly added.
"For me, Bucko is probably the best player I've ever played with, and I don't know if that'll ever change. Yeah, that's how highly I rate him. I love everything about Bucko as a player, even him cycling to and from games, that's a bit of me."
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
