Alan James Alexander Kelly (5 July 1936 – 20 May 2009) was an Irish coach and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for
Bray Wanderers and
Drumcondra in his home country, and most notably for
Preston North End in England. He was capped 47 times for the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
. He was the father of
Gary Kelly and
Alan Kelly Jr., who also became goalkeepers.
Playing career
Kelly started his career at
Bray Wanderers. In 1956, he joined
Drumcondra, with whom he had won a
FAI Cup winners medal in 1957 and a
League Championship in 1958. In 1960, he moved to
Preston North End.
Kelly won the first of his 47
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
caps against
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
in a 1956 friendly, and won his second cap the following year in a
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
qualifier against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
He made his Preston debut on 28 January 1961, in an FA Cup tie against
Swansea Town and became first choice goalkeeper the following season. In total, he made a club record 513 appearances over a 14-year period – including the
1964 FA Cup Final
The 1964 FA Cup Final was the 83rd final of the FA Cup. It took place on 2 May 1964 at Wembley Stadium and was contested between West Ham United and Preston North End.
West Ham, captained by Bobby Moore and managed by Ron Greenwood, won the mat ...
defeat by
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
. In
league
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
competition, he played 447 times for Preston, keeping 126 clean sheets, which is a club record.
Kelly was named Preston's inaugural
Player of the Year
Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award.
Association football
In association football, this award is he ...
in
1966–67, and again in
1967–68. He won a Third Division championship medal in
1970–71. A shoulder injury ended his career in 1973 – his final game being against
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
on 15 September 1973. He was given a
testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, particularly in association football in the United Kingdom and South America, where a club has a match to honour a player for servic ...
against
Stoke City on 19 November 1974; Stoke won 2–1.
Management career and later life
Following his retirement, Kelly joined North End's coaching staff and was promoted to assistant manager under
Nobby Stiles
Norbert Peter Stiles (18 May 194230 October 2020) was an English footballer and manager. He played for England for five years, winning 28 caps and scoring one goal. He played every minute of England's victorious 1966 FIFA World Cup campaign. In ...
in 1977. In 1980, he briefly managed the
Republic of Ireland side, presiding over one match against Switzerland. In 1983, he was appointed manager of Preston North End. Following a bad run of results over the Christmas period he resigned in February 1985.
In 1985–86, his son
Alan Kelly Jr. followed in his father's footsteps when he made his debut in goal for Preston. The younger Kelly later also played in goal for the Republic of Ireland, winning 34 caps. Kelly's oldest Son David who played amateur football his second son
Gary was also a goalkeeper. He was never capped at senior level, but enjoyed a lengthy career playing for
Newcastle United,
Bury and
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic be ...
.
Kelly was goalkeeping coach for
Major League Soccer side
D.C. United
D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...
for over five years.
In 2001, the third part of
Deepdale
Deepdale is a football stadium in the Deepdale area of Preston, England, the home of Preston North End. Deepdale is "widely recognised as being the oldest 'continuously used' football stadium in the world, though this is contested".
History ...
's redevelopment was named the Alan Kelly Town End in honour of their former player and manager.
Kelly spent the final years of his life in
Rockville, Maryland, United States, and died on 20 May 2009 after battling colon cancer for a number of years.
Honours
Drumcondra
*
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally use ...
: 1957–58
*
FAI Cup: 1957
Preston North End
*
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following th ...
: 1970–71
Individual
*
Preston North End F.C. Player of the Year
Winners of the official Preston North End F.C. Player of the year award, Player of the Year Award since its inception in 1967–68:
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preston North End, Fan's Player Of The Year Award Winners
Preston North End ...
: 1967, 1968
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Alan Sr.
1936 births
2009 deaths
Bray Wanderers F.C. players
League of Ireland players
League of Ireland XI players
Preston North End F.C. players
Republic of Ireland association footballers
Republic of Ireland international footballers
Preston North End F.C. managers
Republic of Ireland football managers
Republic of Ireland national football team managers
Association football goalkeepers
English Football League players
Drumcondra F.C. players
Deaths from colorectal cancer
D.C. United non-playing staff
FA Cup Final players