Jimmy Kelly (English footballer born 1931)
Encyclopedia
James "Jimmy" Kelly was an English
footballer who played as a defender
.
, Northumberland
, Kelly started his career at Watford
, who then played in Division Three South
. He signed for Blackpool
on 15 October 1954 for £15,000 and the promise of playing Watford in a friendly
with the Seasiders, who were then playing in the First Division
, the top flight in England. Kelly recalled of the events: "On the Friday I signed for Blackpool, within 24 hours I had travelled from London
to Bramall Lane
and was playing against Sheffield United
. We got beaten 2–1 — and we desperately needed the points too — but meeting my new colleagues in the dressing room and having my first experience of Blackpool's polished style of play helped to make it an otherwise unforgettable day." He scored his first goal for the club later that season, on 26 February 1955 in a 3-1 defeat to West Lancashire
rivals Preston North End
. The following summer he toured with a Football Association
XI, playing against Bermuda
on 12 May 1955.
In October 1955 he had a transfer request turned down, and another request in January 1956 was also turned down. In 1958 he won another representative honour when he played for the FA XI against the Army
. In the 1959–60 season he became Blackpool's club captain. He then gained his coaching certificate at Lilleshall
. In May 1961, after 244 league and cup games for Blackpool, Kelly emigrated to Australia, where he joined South Coast United
in New South Wales. He was voted Player of the Year
by three newspapers in Sydney at the end of 1961: the Sydney Morning Herald
, the Illawarra Mercury
and the Sydney Daily Telegraph
.
He then became player-coach of South Coast United and went on to coach the Australian national team, as well as the New South Wales Federation
. In the 1964-65 season he won the Sydney First Grade League competition with South Coast United. He was offered a new contract but chose instead to go back to England in 1965. He returned to the Fylde coast
playing non-League football
in the Lancashire Combination
with Fleetwood
in the 1966-67 season. In the summer of 1968 he returned to Australia for a second spell.
company, Jim Kelly & Co. Ltd, in Blackpool. The company still bears his name. Kelly died on 10 August 2003, aged 71.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
footballer who played as a defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
.
Career
Born in Linton, MorpethMorpeth, Northumberland
Morpeth is the county town of Northumberland, England. It is situated on the River Wansbeck which flows east through the town. The town is from the A1, which bypasses it. Since 1981, it has been the administrative centre of the County of Northumberland. In the 2001 census the town had a population...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, Kelly started his career at Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
, who then played in Division Three South
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
. He signed for Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
on 15 October 1954 for £15,000 and the promise of playing Watford in a friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
with the Seasiders, who were then playing in the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, the top flight in England. Kelly recalled of the events: "On the Friday I signed for Blackpool, within 24 hours I had travelled from 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...
to Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane
-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...
and was playing 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...
. We got beaten 2–1 — and we desperately needed the points too — but meeting my new colleagues in the dressing room and having my first experience of Blackpool's polished style of play helped to make it an otherwise unforgettable day." He scored his first goal for the club later that season, on 26 February 1955 in a 3-1 defeat to West Lancashire
West Lancashire derby
The West Lancashire derby is a local derby in English football, between Lancashire neighbours Blackpool F.C. and Preston North End F.C. The derby has taken place across all four tiers of the Football League, but not yet in the Premier League...
rivals Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
. The following summer he toured with a Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
XI, playing against Bermuda
Bermuda national football team
The Bermuda national football team is the national team of Bermuda and is controlled by the Bermuda Football Association. A member of CONCACAF, it is not among its strongest teams....
on 12 May 1955.
In October 1955 he had a transfer request turned down, and another request in January 1956 was also turned down. In 1958 he won another representative honour when he played for the FA XI against the Army
Army Football Association
Based at Clayton Barracks in Aldershot, the Army Football Association is the County FA affiliated to The Football Association for the administration of football within the British Army in the United Kingdom, Cyprus and Germany....
. In the 1959–60 season he became Blackpool's club captain. He then gained his coaching certificate at Lilleshall
National Sports Centres
There are five National Sports Centres as part of Sport England's strategy to create an elite of English grown world class sporting talent:* Bisham Abbey* Crystal Palace* Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre* Lilleshall...
. In May 1961, after 244 league and cup games for Blackpool, Kelly emigrated to Australia, where he joined South Coast United
South Coast United
South Coast United Soccer Club is an Australian football from the city of Wollongong.The club was founded in 1984 by Wollongong's Croatian Australian community...
in New South Wales. He was voted Player of the Year
Player of the year award
Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year. In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award...
by three newspapers in Sydney at the end of 1961: the Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
, the Illawarra Mercury
Illawarra Mercury
The Illawarra Mercury is the only daily newspaper in Wollongong, the third largest city in the State of New South Wales, Australia. It has been published since 1855, making it one of Australia's oldest newspapers...
and the Sydney Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
.
He then became player-coach of South Coast United and went on to coach the Australian national team, as well as the New South Wales Federation
Northern New South Wales Football
Northern New South Wales Football is the governing body for football of the northern zone of New South Wales, Australia. It is a member of the national governing body, the Football Federation of Australia.-NBN State Football League:...
. In the 1964-65 season he won the Sydney First Grade League competition with South Coast United. He was offered a new contract but chose instead to go back to England in 1965. He returned to the Fylde coast
The Fylde
The Fylde ; Scandinavian: "field") is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England. It is roughly a 13-mile square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the Bowland hills to the east...
playing non-League football
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
in the Lancashire Combination
Lancashire Combination
The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League...
with Fleetwood
Fleetwood Town F.C.
Fleetwood Town F.C. is an English football club based in Fleetwood, Lancashire. They currently play in the Conference National having been defeated in the Conference National play-off semi-final by AFC Wimbledon in the 2010–11 season.-History:...
in the 1966-67 season. In the summer of 1968 he returned to Australia for a second spell.
After football
In 1965 Kelly established an insurance brokerInsurance broker
An insurance broker finds sources for contracts of insurance on behalf of their customers. The three largest insurance brokers in the world, by revenue, are Aon, Marsh & McLennan, and Willis Group Holdings.-Purpose of insurance brokers:...
company, Jim Kelly & Co. Ltd, in Blackpool. The company still bears his name. Kelly died on 10 August 2003, aged 71.