Gary Kelly
Encyclopedia
Gary Kelly is an Irish
former professional footballer who played his entire professional career with Leeds United
.
He played as a right back or a right midfielder
and made 531 appearances in total for Leeds, being the only player at Leeds to make more than 500 appearances from outside the stewardship of Don Revie
.
. However, when he joined Leeds, then boss Howard Wilkinson
recognised qualities in him that would make a very good wing-back.
Kelly made his debut for Leeds in the 1991-92 season
, although he did not become a regular in the side until the 1993-94 season
, when Wilkinson made him his first choice right-back following the injury-induced retirement of Mel Sterland
, occasionally filing in at centre back when needed.
He had played just twice in the 1991-92 season, when Leeds were champions of the last old Football League First Division
before the FA Premier League
was created, and did not qualify for a title winner's medal.
He was selected in the Premier League team of the season for the 1993-94 campaign.
By the end of that season, he had also played himself into Jack Charlton's Republic of Ireland squad that went to the 1994 World Cup in the U.S.A. He was once of the "Three Amigos" alongside Phil Babb and Jason McAteer whose youthful exuberance rejuvenated an ageing Irish squad and even scored in a 2-0 victory over Germany in a warm-up friendly before those finals. So consistent was his performances for Leeds over the following number of seasons, Kelly was installed by George Graham as his skipper in the 1997-98 season
, at the age of 23.
Kelly was more or less a regular either at right back or right midfield in every subsequent season he played for Leeds, except for 1998-99
, when shin splints ruined his season (this injury would reoccur in subsequent seasons). But Kelly forced his way back into the Leeds first team, in 99/00, making the right back role his own, despite the signing of Danny Mills in the summer of 1999. And once again he took over as skipper when Lucas Radebe was on international duty. He was rewarded with a testimonial match in May 2002, played against Celtic
. The proceeds from this match were donated to several cancer
charities chosen by Kelly (mainly Teenage Cancer Charity in Leeds
and Cancer Support Centre in Drogheda), in dedication to his sister, Mandy, who died from the disease in 1998 aged only 35. Seen by a crowd of 26,440, Celtic won this match, which generated nearly £1million in receipts - making up the majority of the total £1.5million which was raised open a cancer centre in his native Drogheda.
Kelly won 51 international caps playing for the Republic of Ireland
, before his retirement from international football. He represented them at both the 1994 FIFA World Cup
and 2002 FIFA World Cup
. He is also only the 10th player to ever make over 500 appearances for Leeds United, making the feat against Luton Town
in Leeds' 2–1 victory at Elland Road
on 25 February 2006.
Kelly played regularly in the first half of his 16th season at Leeds. But at that stage, Kelly had fallen out with Ken Bates and new Leeds manager, Dennis Wise. On 26 October 2006, Wise
revealed Shaun Derry
was replacing Kelly as the new Leeds vice captain.
After 16 years loyal service to the club, a presentation of a crystal cut vase was made to Kelly at the last home game of the 2006-07 season by other Leeds United legends of the past Paul Reaney
, Allan Clarke
, Mick Jones, and Frank Worthington
. He retired at the end of the season, aged 32.
Kelly is the uncle of fellow Irish international and Leeds teammate Ian Harte
. Uncle and nephew were both part of Ireland's 2002 World Cup squad.
Gary now plays for his local team Drogheda Town. In September 2010 Kelly was accused of assault
of Westlife
's clothes for a training session when Byrne had got changed to join in with the training session. Byrne used to be part of the youth team set up at Leeds United during the mid-1990s, and is good friends with Kelly, even having cleaned his boots when he was a trainee at the club. He also wore the Lucas The Kop Kat head whilst appearing on SKY
's Soccer AM Crossbar Challenge.
|1991-92
||rowspan="16"|Leeds United
||First Division
||2||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||3||0
|-
|1992-93
||rowspan="12"|Premier League||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1993-94
||42||0||3||0||2||0||0||0||47||0
|-
|1994-95
||42||0||4||0||2||0||0||0||48||0
|-
|1995-96
||34||0||5||0||8||0||4||0||51||0
|-
|1996-97
||36||2||4||0||3||0||0||0||43||2
|-
|1997-98
||34||0||4||0||3||0||0||0||41||0
|-
|1998-99
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1999-00||31||0||3||0||2||0||11||0||47||0
|-
|2000-01
||24||0||1||0||1||0||12||0||36||0
|-
|2001-02
||20||0||1||0||1||0||3||0||25||0
|-
|2002-03
||25||0||4||1||0||0||6||0||35||1
|-
|2003-04
||37||0||0||0||2||0||0||0||39||0
|-
|2004-05
||rowspan="3"|Championship
||43||0||1||0||3||0||0||0||47||0
|-
|2005-06
||44||0||2||1||0||0||0||0||46||1
|-
|2006-07
||16||0||0||0||2||0||0||0||18||0
430||2||32||2||30||0||36||0||528||4
430||2||32||2||30||0||36||0||528||4
|-
|1994||10||1
|-
|1995||8||0
|-
|1996||0||0
|-
|1997||7||0
|-
|1998||3||0
|-
|1999||2||0
|-
|2000||3||0
|-
|2001||9||1
|-
|2002||10||0
|-
!Total||52||2
|}
:
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
former professional footballer who played his entire professional career with Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
.
He played as a right back or a right midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
and made 531 appearances in total for Leeds, being the only player at Leeds to make more than 500 appearances from outside the stewardship of Don Revie
Don Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...
.
Biography
Kelly, the youngest of a family of thirteen, originally started playing football as a striker, and was reasonably successful in this position for Home FarmHome Farm F.C.
Home Farm Football Club is an Irish football club based in Whitehall, Dublin. Originally founded in 1928, the club joined the League of Ireland in 1972 after merging with Drumcondra. Following this merger they were briefly known as Home Farm Drumcondra...
. However, when he joined Leeds, then boss Howard Wilkinson
Howard Wilkinson
Howard Wilkinson is a former English football player and manager, and has recently stepped down as a Non-Executive Director at Sheffield Wednesday after formerly relinquishing the chairman role to Milan Mandaric...
recognised qualities in him that would make a very good wing-back.
Kelly made his debut for Leeds in the 1991-92 season
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
, although he did not become a regular in the side until the 1993-94 season
1993-94 in English football
The 1993-1994 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:From the start of this season, the FA Premier League would be sponsored by Carling Breweries - an association which would last for eight years...
, when Wilkinson made him his first choice right-back following the injury-induced retirement of Mel Sterland
Mel Sterland
Melvyn "Mel" Sterland is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United and in the Scottish Football League Premier Division for Rangers, and was capped once for England.-Playing career:Sterland's career is distinctly in two...
, occasionally filing in at centre back when needed.
He had played just twice in the 1991-92 season, when Leeds were champions of the last old Football League 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....
before the FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
was created, and did not qualify for a title winner's medal.
He was selected in the Premier League team of the season for the 1993-94 campaign.
By the end of that season, he had also played himself into Jack Charlton's Republic of Ireland squad that went to the 1994 World Cup in the U.S.A. He was once of the "Three Amigos" alongside Phil Babb and Jason McAteer whose youthful exuberance rejuvenated an ageing Irish squad and even scored in a 2-0 victory over Germany in a warm-up friendly before those finals. So consistent was his performances for Leeds over the following number of seasons, Kelly was installed by George Graham as his skipper in the 1997-98 season
1997-98 in English football
The 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title...
, at the age of 23.
Kelly was more or less a regular either at right back or right midfield in every subsequent season he played for Leeds, except for 1998-99
1998-99 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker...
, when shin splints ruined his season (this injury would reoccur in subsequent seasons). But Kelly forced his way back into the Leeds first team, in 99/00, making the right back role his own, despite the signing of Danny Mills in the summer of 1999. And once again he took over as skipper when Lucas Radebe was on international duty. He was rewarded with a testimonial match in May 2002, played against Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
. The proceeds from this match were donated to several cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
charities chosen by Kelly (mainly Teenage Cancer Charity in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and Cancer Support Centre in Drogheda), in dedication to his sister, Mandy, who died from the disease in 1998 aged only 35. Seen by a crowd of 26,440, Celtic won this match, which generated nearly £1million in receipts - making up the majority of the total £1.5million which was raised open a cancer centre in his native Drogheda.
Kelly won 51 international caps playing for the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
, before his retirement from international football. He represented them at both the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
and 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
. He is also only the 10th player to ever make over 500 appearances for Leeds United, making the feat against Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
in Leeds' 2–1 victory at Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
on 25 February 2006.
Kelly played regularly in the first half of his 16th season at Leeds. But at that stage, Kelly had fallen out with Ken Bates and new Leeds manager, Dennis Wise. On 26 October 2006, Wise
Wise
-People:* Audrey Wise , United Kingdom politician* Bob Wise , American politician* Brownie Wise , American saleswoman who developed "party plan" marketing*Christopher Wise , American author...
revealed Shaun Derry
Shaun Derry
Shaun Peter Derry is an English footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers. Derry is known for his hard-tackling and aggressive midfield style...
was replacing Kelly as the new Leeds vice captain.
After 16 years loyal service to the club, a presentation of a crystal cut vase was made to Kelly at the last home game of the 2006-07 season by other Leeds United legends of the past Paul Reaney
Paul Reaney
Paul Reaney was a long-serving full back with the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s.Reaney wore the No.2 shirt for Leeds and in a team renowned for its hard approach to the game, he more than held his own....
, Allan Clarke
Allan Clarke (footballer)
Allan John Clarke , nicknamed "Sniffer", is a former footballer who played in the Football League for Walsall, Fulham, Leicester City, Leeds United and Barnsley, and won 19 international caps for England.-Early career:Clarke started his career at Walsall and made his debut aged 17, in 1963...
, Mick Jones, and Frank Worthington
Frank Worthington
Frank Stewart Worthington is a former English footballer. Frank was born into a footballing family in Shelf near Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire. Both of his parents had played the game and his two older brothers, Dave and Bob, became professional footballers, both began their careers with...
. He retired at the end of the season, aged 32.
Kelly is the uncle of fellow Irish international and Leeds teammate Ian Harte
Ian Harte
Ian Patrick Harte is an Irish international footballer who plays for Reading in the Football League Championship. Best known for his spell at Leeds United and also his ability to score goals from long range, including being a free kick specialist...
. Uncle and nephew were both part of Ireland's 2002 World Cup squad.
Gary now plays for his local team Drogheda Town. In September 2010 Kelly was accused of assault
Kelly the Prankster
Kelly was also regarded amongst the Leeds squad as somewhat of a prankster and joker, having pulled several different stunts, including wearing Nicky ByrneNicky Byrne
Nicholas Bernard James Adam Byrne, Jr is a singer-songwriter, radio presenter and former footballer. From 1998 until 2012 he was the oldest member of Irish pop band, Westlife....
of Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
's clothes for a training session when Byrne had got changed to join in with the training session. Byrne used to be part of the youth team set up at Leeds United during the mid-1990s, and is good friends with Kelly, even having cleaned his boots when he was a trainee at the club. He also wore the Lucas The Kop Kat head whilst appearing on SKY
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
's Soccer AM Crossbar Challenge.
Career statistics
|-|1991-92
The Football League 1991-92
The 1991–1992 season was the 92nd completed season of The Football League.- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of players like Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David...
||rowspan="16"|Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
||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....
||2||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||3||0
|-
|1992-93
FA Premier League 1992-93
The 1992–93 FA Premier League was the first season of the Premier League, the top division of English football. The league was made up of the 22 clubs that broke away from The Football League at the end of the 1991–92 season. The new league was backed up by a five-year, £305 million deal with...
||rowspan="12"|Premier League||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1993-94
FA Premier League 1993-94
-New league sponsors:From the start of the 1993-94 season, the FA Premier League was sponsored by Carling Breweries.-Promoted teams:Newcastle United and West Ham were promoted to the Premier League from the First Division as champions and runners-up respectively. The last promotion place was won by...
||42||0||3||0||2||0||0||0||47||0
|-
|1994-95
FA Premier League 1994-95
-Promoted teams:Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest were promoted from the Football League First Division as winners and runners-up respectively. Leicester City won the 1993-94 playoff.-Controversial incidents:...
||42||0||4||0||2||0||0||0||48||0
|-
|1995-96
FA Premier League 1995-96
-Promoted teams:Due to the decision to reduce the number of clubs in the Premier League from 22 to 20, only two clubs were promoted this season: Middlesbrough as Football League First Division champions, and Bolton Wanderers who won the 1994-95 playoff.-Transfers:...
||34||0||5||0||8||0||4||0||51||0
|-
|1996-97
FA Premier League 1996-97
The 1996–97 FA Premier League season was the fifth season of the competition, since its formation in 1992. The majority of the season was contested by the reigning champions, Manchester United, along with Newcastle United, Arsenal and Liverpool...
||36||2||4||0||3||0||0||0||43||2
|-
|1997-98
FA Premier League 1997-98
The FA Premier League 1997-98 season saw Arsenal lift their first league title since 1991, and also become only the second team to win the 'double' of the FA Cup and league title twice...
||34||0||4||0||3||0||0||0||41||0
|-
|1998-99
FA Premier League 1998-99
The 1998–99 FA Premier League season was the seventh season of the Premier League, the top division of English football, since its establishment in 1992. The season will always be remembered as the one in which Manchester United won a unique treble of the league title, the FA Cup and the European Cup...
||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|1999-00||31||0||3||0||2||0||11||0||47||0
|-
|2000-01
FA Premier League 2000-01
The FA Premier League 2000-01 season was the third season running which ended with Manchester United as champions and Arsenal as runners-up. Sir Alex Ferguson became the first manager to win three successive English league titles, although three teams had achieved that feat in the past - but with...
||24||0||1||0||1||0||12||0||36||0
|-
|2001-02
FA Premier League 2001-02
The 2001–02 FA Premier League season was the tenth season of the competition. It began with a new sponsor, Barclaycard, and was titled the FA Barclaycard Premiership, replacing the previous sponsor, Carling...
||20||0||1||0||1||0||3||0||25||0
|-
|2002-03
FA Premier League 2002-03
The 2002–03 FA Premier League was the eleventh season of the Premier League, the top division in English football. The first matches were played on 17 August 2002 and the last were played on 11 May 2003...
||25||0||4||1||0||0||6||0||35||1
|-
|2003-04
FA Premier League 2003-04
The 2003–04 FA Premier League season was the twelfth season of the Premier League. In the end, Arsenal went through the season without a single defeat – only the second ever team to do so and were crowned champions once more, at the expense of Chelsea, who had spent heavily throughout the...
||37||0||0||0||2||0||0||0||39||0
|-
|2004-05
The Football League 2004-05
The 2004–2005 season was the 105th completed season of The Football League.-Overview:This season the league was contested through three divisions. 2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football...
||rowspan="3"|Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||43||0||1||0||3||0||0||0||47||0
|-
|2005-06
The Football League 2005-06
The 2005–2006 season was the 106th completed season of The Football League.-Overview:In this season of Football League, Reading was the only club in England to get more than 100 points and they also have won the League Championship...
||44||0||2||1||0||0||0||0||46||1
|-
|2006-07
The Football League 2006-07
The 2006–2007 season was the 107th completed season of the Football League.-Overview:The Football League was contested through three Divisions in England and Wales. The divisions were the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League Two...
||16||0||0||0||2||0||0||0||18||0
430||2||32||2||30||0||36||0||528||4
430||2||32||2||30||0||36||0||528||4
|-
|1994||10||1
|-
|1995||8||0
|-
|1996||0||0
|-
|1997||7||0
|-
|1998||3||0
|-
|1999||2||0
|-
|2000||3||0
|-
|2001||9||1
|-
|2002||10||0
|-
!Total||52||2
|}
Honours
Leeds UnitedLeeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
:
- The Championship Playoff final runner up 2005–06