Jack Kelsey
Encyclopedia
Alfred John "Jack" Kelsey (19 November 1929 – 18 March 1992) was a Welsh
international football
goalkeeper, who also played for Arsenal
. He is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers to play for Wales.
area of Swansea
.
He was spotted by an ex-Arsenal player, Les Morris, whilst Kelsey was playing for his local side, Winch Wen, then in the Swansea & District League. Morris recommended Kelsey to Arsenal, who upon watching the goalkeeper for a few games, decided to sign him. Arsenal already had an established first-choice goalkeeper at this time, in George Swindin
, so Kelsey could do nothing but wait for his chance to play for the first team.
After two years in the reserves, Kelsey made his first-team debut against Charlton Athletic
on February 24, 1951 at Highbury
, after Swindin had received an injury; However, Kelsey's first start was not an auspicious one, as Arsenal lost 5-2, their heaviest defeat at home since November 1928. Kelsey made a total of four appearances that season, but was dropped once Swindin returned and did not feature in Arsenal's 1951-52
run to the FA Cup final.
season, sharing goalkeeping duties with Swindin; he made 29 appearances in a side that won the First Division title. With a rugged build and consistently solid catching, Kelsey managed to fully oust Swindin from the side (Swindin making only two appearances in 1953-54
) and went on to be Arsenal's first-choice goalkeeper for the next eight seasons; only a broken arm sustained in an FA Cup
tie against Sheffield United
in 1959 put Kelsey out of the Arsenal side for any considerable amount of time, with Jim Standen
taking over in the meantime.
Although his playing career coincided for the most part with a trophyless run for Arsenal - their best finish being third in 1958-59
- and thus he did not win further honours with them, he is still regarded by the club as one of their greatest-ever goalkeepers. He was also a runner-up in the first Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
final in 1958
, playing for a London XI
representative side against FC Barcelona
.
Kelsey also became a regular first choice keeper for Wales
, making his debut in 1954, winning 41 caps in total. He was Wales's keeper in the 1958 World Cup, their only finals appearance to date. They were eventually knocked out 1-0 by winners Brazil
in the quarter-finals. With the help of Kelsey, Wales did not concede a goal for 70 minutes against the Brazilians, until a shot by Pelé
deflected off Welsh player Stuart Williams
managed to beat Kelsey. Kelsey also played for the Great Britain & Northern Ireland
team against a Rest of Europe side in 1955.
; despite many attempts to rectify his injury, he was forced to retire a year later. He received around £5,000 insurance money at the time. In all, he played 352 times for Arsenal, comprising 327 League matches, 24 in the FA Cup
and 1 in the Charity Shield
.
After retiring as a player, Kelsey later worked for Arsenal as the club's commercial manager, finally retiring in 1989. He died in London
in 1992, at the age of 62.
In September 2010 Kelsey was inducted to the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
international football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
goalkeeper, who also played for Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. He is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers to play for Wales.
Early career
Jack Kelsey was born in the LlansamletLlansamlet
Llansamlet is the name of an electoral ward and a coterminous community City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. Llansamlet does not have a community council....
area of Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
.
He was spotted by an ex-Arsenal player, Les Morris, whilst Kelsey was playing for his local side, Winch Wen, then in the Swansea & District League. Morris recommended Kelsey to Arsenal, who upon watching the goalkeeper for a few games, decided to sign him. Arsenal already had an established first-choice goalkeeper at this time, in George Swindin
George Swindin
George Hedley Swindin was an English football player and manager.-Playing career:A goalkeeper, Swindin was born in Campsall, Doncaster, Yorkshire. He played as an amateur for various local clubs, including Rotherham United, before turning professional in 1934 with Bradford City...
, so Kelsey could do nothing but wait for his chance to play for the first team.
After two years in the reserves, Kelsey made his first-team debut against Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
on February 24, 1951 at Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
, after Swindin had received an injury; However, Kelsey's first start was not an auspicious one, as Arsenal lost 5-2, their heaviest defeat at home since November 1928. Kelsey made a total of four appearances that season, but was dropped once Swindin returned and did not feature in Arsenal's 1951-52
1951-52 in English football
The 1951–52 season was the 72nd season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
run to the FA Cup final.
Later career
After an entire season in the reserves, he returned to the side during the 1952-531952-53 in English football
The 1952–53 season was the 73rd season of competitive football in England.-Events:This was the closest championship win in English league history at the time, with Arsenal claiming the title by just 0.099 of a goal. Both Arsenal and Preston had identical records aside from their goal averages...
season, sharing goalkeeping duties with Swindin; he made 29 appearances in a side that won the First Division title. With a rugged build and consistently solid catching, Kelsey managed to fully oust Swindin from the side (Swindin making only two appearances in 1953-54
1953-54 in English football
The 1953–54 season was the 74th season of competitive football in England.-National team:The Marvellous Magyars shocked football by defeating England 6–3 at Wembley Stadium.-Honours:...
) and went on to be Arsenal's first-choice goalkeeper for the next eight seasons; only a broken arm sustained in an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
tie against Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
in 1959 put Kelsey out of the Arsenal side for any considerable amount of time, with Jim Standen
Jim Standen
James Alfred Standen is an English former footballer, playing as goalkeeper, and cricketer.Standen started his footballing career at Arsenal, joining the side in 1953. His appearances at Arsenal were limited, first by National Service and then by the presence of Wales international Jack Kelsey...
taking over in the meantime.
Although his playing career coincided for the most part with a trophyless run for Arsenal - their best finish being third in 1958-59
1958-59 in English football
The 1958–59 season was the 79th season of competitive football in England.-Diary of the season:August 1958: The Football League season begins with the new national Third and Fourth divisions that have been created from the old Third Division North and Third Division South.September 1958: Manchester...
- and thus he did not win further honours with them, he is still regarded by the club as one of their greatest-ever goalkeepers. He was also a runner-up in the first Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...
final in 1958
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1955-58
The first Inter-Cities Fairs Cup took place over three seasons from 1955 to 1958. The competition began with a group stage with each team playing home and away against each other. Due to the competition rules which stated only one side from each city was allowed to compete, many cities with several...
, playing for a London XI
London XI
The London XI was an association football representative team, specially created to take part in the 1955-58 edition of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the precursor of today's UEFA Europa League although not recognized by UEFA....
representative side against FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
.
Kelsey also became a regular first choice keeper for Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
, making his debut in 1954, winning 41 caps in total. He was Wales's keeper in the 1958 World Cup, their only finals appearance to date. They were eventually knocked out 1-0 by winners Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
in the quarter-finals. With the help of Kelsey, Wales did not concede a goal for 70 minutes against the Brazilians, until a shot by Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
deflected off Welsh player Stuart Williams
Stuart Williams (footballer)
Stuart Williams was a Wales international football player. Williams, a defender, played his club football for Wrexham, West Bromwich Albion and Southampton....
managed to beat Kelsey. Kelsey also played for the Great Britain & Northern Ireland
United Kingdom national football team
No United Kingdom national football team currently exists, as there are separate teams representing England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in football. These national teams compete in the World Cup and European Championships and other internationals. A UK team has played in friendly...
team against a Rest of Europe side in 1955.
Retirement and after
Kelsey's career was cut short after he sustained a back injury playing for Wales in a friendly against Brazil in May 1962, whilst trying to save at the feet of VaváVavá
Vavá, real name Edvaldo Izídio Neto, was an association footballer who is widely considered one of the best strikers of his generation. His nickname was "Peito de Aço"...
; despite many attempts to rectify his injury, he was forced to retire a year later. He received around £5,000 insurance money at the time. In all, he played 352 times for Arsenal, comprising 327 League matches, 24 in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
and 1 in the Charity Shield
FA Community Shield
The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
.
After retiring as a player, Kelsey later worked for Arsenal as the club's commercial manager, finally retiring in 1989. He died in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1992, at the age of 62.
In September 2010 Kelsey was inducted to the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
The Welsh Sports Hall of Fame is a charitable organization created to commemorate the sporting achievements and preserve the artifacts of Welsh athletes. It was established in 1980 from the memorabilia collection of Welsh radio announcer G. V. Wynne-Jones...
.