Kenny Pavey grew up in Southwark, London getting his big break with boyhood club Millwall before completing his YTS with non-league side Sittingbourne. Premier League club Aston Villa then scouted Kenny, but the deal eventually fell through.
In 1998 at the age of 18, Kenny decided to move to Sweden with Ljunskile SK before moving to AIK; one of the country’s biggest clubs in 2006. During his time with AIK, the winger has won numerous silverware including a League and Cup double in 2009, whilst he has also made his mark in the Champions League.
Sportsvibe.co.uk caught up with the 32-year-old as he discusses his action-packed career, pie and mash and possibly playing for the Swedish national team.
Q. During your time in England you player for Millwall and Sittingbourne. What were those experiences like for you as a youngster?
Millwall was very special for me as I grew up as a Millwall fan. I started playing football at quite a late age and got scouted by Millwall whilst I was playing for Affenley when I was about 10. It was a fantastic experience for me and unfortunately I didn’t progress any further with the club.
That’s when I moved to Sittingbourne and I did my YTS there. It was another fantastic experience and they are a special club because they were rising up the leagues whilst I was there. They were one of the first non-league clubs to have the YTS system in place.
Q. Whilst at Sittingbourne, Aston Villa showed some interest in signing you. How much of this was true and did you take much notice?
I got scouted by Aston Villa and went up there for a one-week trial. That was another fantastic experience for me and I felt right at home during my time there. I played in a reserve game for Villa and I was in the same side as Gareth Barry and Darius Vassell. We were playing against Coventry and Gordon Strachan was playing for them. I think he was assistant coach at the time and he took the field. I had a good game and scored even though we ended up losing 2-1.
The week as a whole went really well and everyone around me was pretty confident that a deal was going to happen, but at the same time Sittingbourne had gone into administration and the two clubs couldn’t agree terms. The deal fell though for me and I actually found out in the local paper when I was on my way to a football match.
After that it took a lot out of me because it would have been a huge move. Aston Villa at the time were one of the top sides in the Premier League and had the likes of Dwight Yorke and Stan Collymore on their books. I took my foot off the pedal a little bit after that deal collapsed, but I’ve still got the newspaper clipping ‘Villa Dream Falls Through for Pavey’.
Q. You did end up leaving Sittingbourne and moved to Swedish side Ljunskile SK. How did that move come about?
The guy who was scouting me in England for Aston Villa had a contact in Sweden who also worked for Aston Villa, but also did work with Ljunskile.
Q. You moved to Sweden when you were 18. What was it like moving to a new country at such a young age and learning a new language and culture?
The first time I came over here it was the summer and Ljunskile has a population of about 8,000 people. When it comes to winter, the village loses a few thousand people. I originally came over here for a week and ended up staying for a month because the club wanted me to stay in Sweden for as long as I could.. During my first month with Ljunskile, I set up the winner in the local derby and in my first start I scored so they wanted to sign me on a permanent basis.
I then came back for the start of the following season and it was winter. I’d never seen anything like it, it was a totally different place to when I first arrived; like a ghost town with snow up to your knees. In the summer it was thriving and lots of people have their summer homes here, but in the winter they had all gone and it left me thinking ‘what have I done here?’
It was difficult in the beginning but sometimes it’s easier to go to a smaller town because I think people look after you a bit more. I’ve got nothing but praise for everyone there because they were all so nice. It was hard; I was 18 and trying to learn a new language and it was a bit of a culture shock coming from London to a town of just 5,000 people. I got used to it and it made me grow up a little bit. It kept me out of trouble and made me concentrate on the one thing that I love which is football.
Q. After moving to AIK from Ljungskile, what were the differences between the Swedish lower leagues compared to the top flight?
When I moved to AIK it was the time when I really felt like a real professional footballer. The media aspect of things, the crowds, the stadiums and the quality of football was all a different class. It doesn’t get any better than AIK in Sweden. They probably have the biggest fan base in Scandinavia so going to a team like that and playing the national stadium, it was the one team I wanted to go to.
There were a few other Swedish teams interested in signing me, but AIK was the one that I wanted to play for. I had actually played against them twice that year because they went down so it gave me the chance to show what I could do in the games against them and throughout the season. They took me on and it’s been a massive change in my life.
Q. During your time at AIK you’ve played in the UEFA Cup, Europa League and the Champions League. What have those experiences been like and have you ever come up against an English side?
We’ve been so close on a number of occasions to drawing an English team in Europe. There was one time we were in the same group as Hapoel Tel Aviv and they edged past us in the group and ended up playing Tottenham in the next round. Last year we could have played Liverpool in the Europa League but ended up losing to Levski Sofia.
It’s been a little bit gutting not to have come up against an English side in Europe but I have had some great experiences playing in Europe and to have played in the Champions League was a dream come true.
Q. How does the atmosphere from the fans compare between England and Sweden?
I think people are taken aback a little when they see what the atmosphere is like over here. I don’t think many people see the Swedish league as a big league but fan-wise the clubs have a decent following. My first year with AIK the average attendance was 21,000 and the biggest attendance was 34,000 in the derby against Djurgarden - that’s Premier League size crowds.
The fans used to get away with a little bit more out here with the flares, which were good, but there’s been a bit of trouble in the last couple of years with flares getting thrown onto the pitch and hitting players and officials.
Games against Djurgarden and Malmo are amazing as a spectacle and if you haven’t seen the videos on YouTube, take a look, they are amazing games to play in. You don’t get anything like that back in England.
Q. During your time in Sweden, has there been any interest from clubs in England or other clubs in Europe for you?
I had a bit of time away from football when I was at Ljungskile. I had a really good season and was voted the league’s best midfielder. During the summer break, Barnsley were interested when Nigel Spacman was manager but the deal fell through. It was a bit of an eye-opener for me I had with Aston Villa then with Barnsley. I then gave up for a year and went to work with my mate doing building work, but then got offered the chance to go back to Ljungskile and I haven’t looked back since.
Q. You’ve been in Sweden since the age of 18. Have you ever been called up to play for the Swedish national team? If not and if you where, would you consider playing for Sweden?
It’s a hard one. I think you have had to live over here for a certain amount of time and I think because I went home for that year and then came back that time started again. I have been asked about it in the past ahead of international tournaments in 2006 and 2008 and it’s a weird one. I’ve been here so long and I know the country really well but I don’t know.
To play in a World Cup would be fantastic but it wouldn’t feel quite right. Imagine if I had to play against England? There might be a couple of dodgy back-passes from me! I spoke to my old man about it and he said ‘why not?’
However, both of my kids were born out here and maybe they will represent Sweden.
Q. Are there things you miss from England?
I get all of the English channels out here so I’m able to watch Match of the Day and I’m a Celebrity and everything like that so I don’t really miss that aspect of life. I obviously miss my family and just being able to pop over to the pub to have a beer and watch the football sometimes.
I say it all the time but pie and mash is probably the thing I miss the most when it comes to food. My wife works in an English shop out here and it sells stuff that is imported over from back home. She brings back Kingsmill bread, jammy dodgers, stuffing and things like that, so we’re still able to have a Sunday Roast.
Q. Are there any other English players out in Sweden and if so is there any banter before games?
There’s two lads Calum Angus at GAIS and James Keene at Elfsborg. I speak to James every now and again and Calum tried to give me a bit of stick before we played them one match, but he tried to do it from another mate’s phone, yet with his accent I knew it was him straight away and I got him back!
Q. Would you recommend other English players to play in Sweden?
Its great and I’m glad I’m not the only one out here. It’s good that it’s opened up to other English players already. I think there is a lot of quality in England, but its wasted because there are so many people that want to play in England. English-born players aren’t getting the opportunity as they’re fighting for positions against people from all over the world. They then end up dropping down the league with some of them even dropping out of football altogether.
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