John Kelly (footballer born 1960)
Encyclopedia
John Kelly is a former professional
footballer who played in the Football League
as a midfielder
for Tranmere Rovers
, Preston North End
, Chester City
, Swindon Town
, Oldham Athletic
, Walsall
& Huddersfield Town
.
The son of former Tranmere Rovers manager Noel Kelly
, John established himself as a stylish midfielder in the lower divisions after joining Tranmere from neighbours Cammell Laird
in September 1979. In 1985-86
he struck up a successful partnership with fellow new signing Milton Graham
at Chester City
, with Kelly scoring eight times as Chester were promoted from Division Four. A year later he moved up to the second tier with Swindon Town
for £20,000, although he struggled to establish himself with the Wiltshire club and soon moved on to Oldham Athletic.
After spells with Walsall
and Huddersfield Town
, Kelly returned to Chester in the summer of 1992. Unfortunately, the 1992-93 season
brought relegation to Division Three and Kelly was released at the end of the campaign. This marked the end of his professional career and he went part-time by joining Welsh side Rhyl
.
Kelly made two appearances for the Republic of Ireland Under 21's, a nation he was eligible to represent as his father was born in Ireland.
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
footballer who played in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
as a 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...
for Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
, 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...
, Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
, Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
, Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
, Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
& Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
.
The son of former Tranmere Rovers manager Noel Kelly
Noel Kelly (footballer)
Noel Kelly was an Irish soccer player during the 1940s.Kelly played for Bohemians during the 40s in the League of Ireland and was a member of the 1945 Bohemian Inter City Cup winning team against Belfast Celtic at Dalymount Park...
, John established himself as a stylish midfielder in the lower divisions after joining Tranmere from neighbours Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird F.C.
Cammell Laird Football Club is an English Semi Professional football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside. The club are currently members of the Northern Premier League Division One North, The 8th Tier of English Football, and play at the Kirklands Stadium....
in September 1979. In 1985-86
1985-86 in English football
The 1985–86 season was the 106th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The championship crown went to Liverpool for the 16th time in their history at the end of their first season under the management of Kenny Dalglish, but they had to fight off some very stiff competition to...
he struck up a successful partnership with fellow new signing Milton Graham
Milton Graham
Milton Graham was a professional footballer with A.F.C. Bournemouth, Chester City and Peterborough United in the 1980s...
at Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
, with Kelly scoring eight times as Chester were promoted from Division Four. A year later he moved up to the second tier with Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
for £20,000, although he struggled to establish himself with the Wiltshire club and soon moved on to Oldham Athletic.
After spells with Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
and Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
, Kelly returned to Chester in the summer of 1992. Unfortunately, the 1992-93 season
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
brought relegation to Division Three and Kelly was released at the end of the campaign. This marked the end of his professional career and he went part-time by joining Welsh side Rhyl
Rhyl F.C.
Rhyl Football Club is a Welsh football club, playing in the Cymru Alliance.The club was founded in 1882 and the team plays its home matches at Belle Vue, Rhyl, which can accommodate 3,000 spectators.- History :Few clubs in the Welsh Premier League have as distinguished a past as Rhyl's...
.
Kelly made two appearances for the Republic of Ireland Under 21's, a nation he was eligible to represent as his father was born in Ireland.