"It's a club going in the right direction" - New signing Keane targeting another promotion with FC Halifax Town

Keane earned two promotions in four seasons at Edgeley Park, becoming a fans' favourite at the club in the process.

And he is relishing the prospect of maintaining that level of success at Halifax.

"It's definitely exciting, definitely challenging," he said.

"I've come from somewhere I've been for four years, so you know everybody when you go in, you enjoy it, you're comfortable.

"But I like challenging myself, I like improving, and I think it got to a stage where it needed to happen, for me personally, to kick on again.

"I'm still only 28, I've got my best years ahead, so let's go bring it somewhere else and let's go get promoted elsewhere.

"Let's hopefully be here for another four or five years and see where that takes us."

Keane, who signed a two-year deal with Halifax, still had a year left on his contract at Stockport.

"The club said they wouldn't stand in my way if I wanted to move on," Keane said.

"They've been very good with me, keeping me in the loop with who'd be in touch for me.

"I've left on very good terms, I wish them all the success.

"But now I'm at Halifax it's a case of my personal goal is to play in the Football League, and if I can do that by being promoted with Halifax, then so be it. I'll just have to wait another year!"

Keane feels he has joined a club that is going in the right direction.

"The gaffer got in touch and we touched base, a few of the lads were asking questions about my plans," he said.

"I was very much an open book, I got married in the summer so I wanted to enjoy that and get that out of the way.

"Then it was a case of coming back to Stockport and seeing what was happening, and the way the club's going, fair play, I think they'll fly through the leagues, but what comes with that is more players come in, a higher calibre of player and you find yourself thinking 'where's my game time?'.

"For me, I want to play, so when I knew Halifax were interested it was a case of if nothing in the Football League comes available then it's definitely going to be Halifax.

"I've played against them, it's a good stadium, a good team, it's got the right morals as a club and it's going in the right direction."

Keane was in the youth team set-up at Wolves before spending two years at Stoke City, including a pre-season with the first-team under Mark Hughes.

"I just got a taste for the first-team environment, we were away for six weeks, I was playing games for them," he said.

"Then the club said 'let's get you out on loan' and I ended up going to Tamworth. I loved my time there, first taste of men's football.

"Then I had a tough few years, bouncing from club to club to club.

"I think as soon as you go out of full-time football into part-time football, there's a lot of good players in non-league.

"I did a season at Boston, where I was captain, and I had a good year there, and then I moved to Stockport."

After a time falling down the pyramid, Keane's season at Boston was where he started to re-establish himself.

"I was still relatively young, maybe 23, but when I got the armband I felt a bit of responsibility," he said.

"It was a case of 'right, I know I can play football, but what else can I bring to the table?'.

"I enjoyed it, I don't think I missed many games."

That season at Boston earned him his move to Stockport, a club that he says played a big part in his development.

"The first three months were tough under Jim Gannon, but I think most people would say that with how intense he is," Keane said.

"He moulds players at that age, around 24, where you think you're there, but you can still go up a few levels.

"He took me on leaps and bounds with tactical awareness, what to be doing, when to be doing it.

"That was an intense year, and then the club has gone from part-time, training in the evening, to being full-time at Carrington with the best facilities."

Keane is able to play in central defence and central midfield.

"I can play in-front of a back four, I can defend, I can win the ball back, I can play," he said.

"I've played a lot at the right of a back three, I can dictate a game going forward from there.

"I feel comfortable in both, for me it's more fitting into the team.

"It's generally been split between holding midfield and then, in the last two and a bit seasons, right of a back three.

"But I can play right of a back four no problem.

"For me, especially this season, it's a case of 'let's try and play every game, let's try and nail something down'.

"I'll bring hopefully a consistency in my performance, leadership, organisation, experience, hopefully chip in with a few goals.

"I'm just a good, honest, hard-working player."

Keane should offer plenty off-the-pitch as well as on it.

"A lot of the conversations (before joining Halifax) were around the experience side, what I can bring as a whole package, not just necessarily on the pitch," Keane said.

"Leadership, pulling the team together, passing on my experience about a winning changing room and how that works.

"Although after speaking to the lads, it's a great changing room here so there's nothing really to be changed."