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David Thomas Kelly (born 25 November 1965), also known by the nickname Ned Kelly, is a former
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 ...
international
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
and football coach. He scored nine goals in 26 international games for the Republic of Ireland, and was a squad member for
UEFA Euro 1988 The 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in West Germany from 10 to 25 June 1988. It was the eighth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. The tournament crowned the Nethe ...
, the 1990 FIFA World Cup, and the
1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...
. A forward, he scored a total of 250 goals in 744 league and cup appearances in a 19-year career in professional football. As a child, Kelly suffered from
Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease (LCPD) is a childhood hip disorder initiated by a disruption of blood flow to the head of the femur. Due to the lack of blood flow, the bone dies (osteonecrosis or avascular necrosis) and stops growing. Over time, ...
, but recovered to win a move from non-league
Alvechurch Alvechurch ( ) is a large village and civil parish in the Bromsgrove district in northeast Worcestershire, England, in the valley of the River Arrow. The Lickey Hills Country Park is 2.5 miles (4 km) to the northwest. It is south of Bir ...
and turn professional at
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is th ...
in 1983. He was named in the 1986–87 Third Division PFA Team of the Year, and scored a hat-trick in the 1988 play-off final to secure the club promotion out of the Third Division. He was sold to
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 ...
for £600,000 in August 1988, but struggled for form before being sold on to
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
for half that sum in March 1990. He then moved on to Newcastle United for a fee of £250,000 in December 1991. He helped Newcastle to avoid relegation out of the
Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
in 1991–92 and then win promotion into the
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
as champions of the newly-renamed First Division in 1992–93. He remained in the First Division however, having been signed by
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
for a £750,000 fee in June 1993. He top-scored for Wolves in 1994–95, before he was purchased by Sunderland for £900,000 shortly before they won promotion as champions of the First Division at the end of the 1995–96 season. He dropped back into the First Division after joining
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
for £350,000 in 1997, and spent three seasons with Rovers, playing on the losing side of the 2000 League Cup final. Following brief spells with
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
, Motherwell, and
Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and ...
, he finished his career at Derry City, winning the 2002 FAI Cup in his final match as a player. He remained within football after retiring as a player, and went on to coach at Tranmere Rovers, Sheffield United, Preston North End,
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...
, Walsall, Scunthorpe United, and
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
.


Club career


Walsall

Kelly was diagnosed with
Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease (LCPD) is a childhood hip disorder initiated by a disruption of blood flow to the head of the femur. Due to the lack of blood flow, the bone dies (osteonecrosis or avascular necrosis) and stops growing. Over time, ...
at the age of five, and at one stage his left leg was four inches shorter than the right leg, and he was on crutches until the age of ten. He played football for Bartley Green Boys regardless, and was attached to
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
before he was released by Albion, at which stage he worked as a trolley porter at Cadbury's whilst representing the youth team at non-league side
Alvechurch Alvechurch ( ) is a large village and civil parish in the Bromsgrove district in northeast Worcestershire, England, in the valley of the River Arrow. The Lickey Hills Country Park is 2.5 miles (4 km) to the northwest. It is south of Bir ...
. He joined Walsall following a successful trial in 1981, and turned professional at the club under
Alan Buckley Alan Peter Buckley (born 20 April 1951) is an English former professional footballer and football manager who now works as a sports co-commentator for BBC Humberside. As a player, he was a forward from 1967 to 1987 for Nottingham Forest, ...
two years later. He scored three goals in six Third Division games in the 1983–84 season, before winning a regular first team place in the 1984–85 campaign, scoring 13 goals from 41 appearances. He provided ten goals from 28 league games in the 1985–86 campaign, before his career took off under new manager Tommy Coakley; he top-scored with 26 goals from 55 appearances as the "Saddlers" posted an eighth-place finish in 1986–87, and was named in the Third Division PFA Team of the Year. He then scored 30 goals from 54 matches in the 1987–88 season as Walsall won promotion via the play-offs in 1988; he scored a hat-trick in the replay of the 1988 play-off final as Walsall beat
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 ...
to achieve promotion. He went on to have a week-long trial at Bayern Munich, but did not join the club despite
Uli Hoeneß Ulrich "Uli" Hoeneß (, ; born 5 January 1952) is the former president of German football club Bayern Munich and a former footballer for West Germany who played as a forward for club and country. Hoeneß represented Germany at one World Cup and ...
reportedly comparing him to Denis Law.
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
restricted clubs to just two foreign players and Kelly refused Bayern's offer to sign him and loan him out whilst they looked to offload one of their two foreign players. He scored a total of 82 goals in 190 league and cup appearances over the course of five seasons at
Fellows Park Fellows Park was a football stadium in Walsall, England. It was the home ground of Walsall F.C. from 1896 until 1990, when the team moved to the Bescot Stadium. Fellows Park was situated about a quarter of a mile away from the club's present ...
, and the transfer fee received for him remains a club record.


West Ham United

His exploits attracted the attention of
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 ...
, who signed him for a fee of £600,000 in August 1988. He made his debut in a 4–0 defeat to
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
. His stay at the
Boleyn Ground The Boleyn Ground, often referred to as Upton Park, was a football stadium located in Upton Park, east London. It was the home of West Ham United from 1904 to 2016, and was briefly used by Charlton Athletic in the early 1990s during their years ...
proved to be largely unsuccessful as an initially promising strike partnership with
Leroy Rosenior Leroy De Graft Rosenior (born 24 August 1964) is a football coach and pundit. He is a former footballer whose clubs included Fulham, Queens Park Rangers (for whom he appeared as a substitute in the 1986 League Cup Final), Bristol City and Wes ...
floundered as he scored only six goals in 25 First Division games as John Lyall's "Hammers" suffered relegation in 1988–89. Kelly also failed to find form for the club under new boss
Lou Macari Luigi Macari (born 7 June 1949) is a Scottish former footballer and manager. He began his playing career at Celtic where he was one of the Quality Street Gang, the outstanding reserve team that emerged in the late 1960s that also included Ken ...
in the
Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
, scoring just two goals in 24 matches of the 1989–90 campaign.


Leicester City

Kelly was sold to
David Pleat David John Pleat (born 15 January 1945) is an English football player turned manager, and sports commentator. Pleat made 185 Football League appearances for five clubs, scoring 26 goals. He had two spells as manager of Luton Town, and four as ...
's
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
for a fee of £300,000 in March 1990. He recaptured his form at
Filbert Street Filbert Street was a football stadium in Leicester, England, which served as the home of Leicester City F.C. from 1891 until 2002. Although officially titled the City Business Stadium in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively by ...
, scoring seven goals from just ten games in the latter stages of the 1989–90 season. He then top-scored with 15 goals from 48 games to help new "Foxes" boss
Gordon Lee Gordon Lee may refer to: *Gordon Lee (comic store owner) (1958–2013), American comic book store owner charged with distributing obscene materials *Gordon Lee (congressman) (1859–1927), U.S. congressman from Georgia *Gordon Lee (footballer) (193 ...
avoid relegation out of the Second Division in
1990–91 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
. They mounted a challenge for promotion under the stewardship of Brian Little in 1991–92, though Kelly would leave the club midway through the season.


Newcastle United

Kelly was signed to Second Division Newcastle United in December 1991 after manager
Osvaldo Ardiles Osvaldo César Ardiles (born 3 August 1952), often referred to in Britain as Ossie Ardiles, is an Argentine football manager, pundit and former midfielder who won the 1978 FIFA World Cup as part of the Argentina national team. He now runs his ...
agreed a fee of £250,000. He scored 11 league goals for the "Magpies", including the winning goal over
Tyne–Wear derby The Tyne–Wear derby, also known as the North East derby, is a local derby between the association football clubs Sunderland and Newcastle United. The derby is an inter-city rivalry in North East England with the two cities of Sunderland and Ne ...
rivals Sunderland, as they avoided relegation in 1991–92. He was then the club's top-scorer with 28 goals from 57 games as Kevin Keegan steered Newcastle to promotion into the
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
as champions of the First Division. In his final game for United, on the last day of the season against his old club Leicester City, Kelly and new strike-partner Andy Cole both scored hat-tricks in a 7–1 win at
St James' Park St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England. St James' Pa ...
. He was named as Newcastle United's Player of the Year, but was allowed to leave the club due to the return of Peter Beardsley. Kelly remained a highly popular figure at Newcastle, even commanding a standing ovation upon returning to St James' Park in Sunderland colours.


Wolverhampton Wanderers

Kelly did not make the move back to the top-flight with Newcastle as he was transferred to First Division side
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
in June 1993 after manager
Graham Turner Graham John Turner (born 5 October 1947) is an English former footballer who became a manager. His son Mark was also a professional footballer. He is third behind only Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger in terms of most games managed. After a ...
paid £750,000 to secure his services. He hit 14 goals from 44 games in the 1993–94 season, as Wolves posted an eighth-place finish. New manager
Graham Taylor Graham Taylor (15 September 1944 – 12 January 2017) was an English football player, manager, pundit and chairman of Watford Football Club. He was the manager of the England national football team from 1990 to 1993, and also managed Lincoln C ...
then took Wolves to fourth place in 1994–95, with Kelly top-scoring with 22 goals in 54 appearances, breaking
Steve Bull Stephen George Bull (born 28 March 1965 in Tipton, Dudley) is an English former professional footballer who is best remembered for his 13-year spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers. He played there from 1986 until his retirement from playing in 19 ...
's run of eight consecutive seasons as Wolves's top-scorer. However, he lost his first team place at Molineux to
Don Goodman Donald Ralph Goodman (born 9 May 1966) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. His professional career spanned for nearly 20 years, during which he played nearly 600 Football League games and scored 162 goals. Car ...
early in the 1995–96 season and requested a transfer.


Sunderland

He signed a three-year contract with Sunderland after moving in a £900,000 deal in September 1995. However an ankle injury restricted him to two goals in ten league matches as manager
Peter Reid Peter Reid (born 20 June 1956) is an English football manager, pundit and former player. A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career. He built his reputation as one of England's brightest midfield tale ...
led the "Black Cats" to promotion into the Premier League as champions of the First Division in 1995–96, and he was transfer-listed in the summer. He remained a regular player at
Roker Park Roker Park was a football ground in Roker, Sunderland, England, which was the home of Sunderland A.F.C. from 1898 to 1997, before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Its final capacity was around 22,500, with only a small part being seated ...
in the 1996–97 campaign but failed to score a single goal all season, often being used as a right-sided midfielder rather than a striker.


Tranmere Rovers

Kelly returned to the First Division after securing a £350,000 move to
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
in August 1997.
John Aldridge John William Aldridge (born 18 September 1958) is a former football player and manager. He was a prolific, record-breaking striker best known for his time with English club Liverpool in the late 1980s. His tally of 330 Football League goals is ...
's "Superwhites" managed to secure mid-table finishes in his three seasons at Prenton Park, as he scored 14 goals from 37 games in 1997–98, six goals from 29 matches in 1998–99, and 15 goals from 46 appearances in 1999–2000. He was appointed as club captain soon after joining. He featured prominently in the club's run to the 2000 League Cup Final, and scored the consolation goal in a 2–1 loss to former club Leicester City at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...
. He was released by Tranmere in July 2000 after failing to agree a new one-year contract.


Later career

Kelly moved to Neil Warnock's
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
on a free transfer at the start of the 2000–01 season. However his one season at Bramall Lane was not a success, as he scored just six goals in 35 league games. In June 2001, he turned down a coaching role at United and instead signed a two-year contract with Billy Davies's Motherwell in the Scottish Premier League. However, he was sacked on 15 January 2002 following a bust-up with new manager
Eric Black John Eric Black (born 1 October 1963) is a Scottish former professional football player and coach. Black played as a striker for Aberdeen and Metz, winning major trophies with both clubs, and earned two international caps for the Scotland nat ...
. Two weeks later he accepted an offer of a three-month contract to return to the English league in the Third Division with
Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and ...
. He scored four goals in 17 games as
Stuart Watkiss Stuart Watkiss (born 8 May 1966) is an English football coach and former professional player who is the assistant coach of Indian Super League club Jamshedpur. As a player, he was a defender and notably played in the Football League with Wolv ...
's "Stags" leapfrogged
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league sy ...
in the race for the final automatic promotion place. Kelly left
Field Mill Field Mill, currently known as One Call Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football ground in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, and the home of Mansfield Town Football Club. It is the oldest ground in the Football League, hosting footb ...
after being released in April 2002. He went on to train with Telford United, but rejected the club's offer of a contract. He went on to cross the
Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
to join Derry City in July 2002. He made his
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 ...
debut on 1 August. In his final game of professional football, Kelly helped the "Candystripes" to a 1–0 victory over Shamrock Rovers in the 2002 FAI Cup final.


International career

Kelly was born in England but was eligible to play 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 ...
because his father was born in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
. He scored a hat-trick on his debut in a 5–0 win over
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
at Dalymount Park on 10 November 1987, becoming only the fifth player to score a hat-trick for the Republic of Ireland. He went on to score nine goals from 26 international caps, and was selected by manager
Jack Charlton John Charlton (8 May 193510 July 2020) was an English footballer and manager who played as a defender. He was part of the England national team that won the 1966 World Cup and managed the Republic of Ireland national team from 1986 to 199 ...
in the squads for
UEFA Euro 1988 The 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in West Germany from 10 to 25 June 1988. It was the eighth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. The tournament crowned the Nethe ...
, the 1990 FIFA World Cup, and the
1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...
. He also scored 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 ...
in what became known as the
Lansdowne Road football riot The Lansdowne Road football riot occurred during a friendly football match between the Republic of Ireland and England in Lansdowne Road Stadium in Dublin, Ireland on 15 February 1995. Match The last time England had played Ireland at Lansdowne ...
on 15 February 1995, which was abandoned due to rioting by
Combat 18 Combat 18 (C18 or 318) is a neo-Nazi terrorist organisation that was founded in 1992. It originated in the United Kingdom, with ties to movements in Canada and the United States. Since then it has spread to other countries, including Germany ...
. He was unable to play in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification play-off fixture with
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
after picking up an ankle injury. Belgium won 3–2 on aggregate, and Kelly never represented Ireland again.


Coaching career

After retiring as a footballer, Kelly was appointed as assistant manager to
Ray Mathias Raymond Mathias (born 13 December 1946) is an English football coach and former player. He has spent most of his career in the lower leagues of English football. Mathias played for Tranmere Rovers between 1964 and 1985, and remains their reco ...
at
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
in October 2002. He walked out on the club to work as Neil Warnock's assistant at
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
in July 2003, to which Tranmere responded by threatening legal action; United had made a formal approach to Tranmere, but Kelly resigned after Tranmere rejected the approach. He was announced as Billy Davies's assistant at Preston North End in September 2004. He remained at
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 ...
after Davies was sacked and replaced by Paul Simpson in June 2006. He was named as assistant manager to Davies at
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...
in July 2007, a few weeks after the club achieved promotion to the
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
. He left the club just four months later when Davies left the club by mutual consent following a disastrous start to the 2007–08 season. Kelly followed Davies to
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
, again being named as assistant manager in January 2009. He took charge of one game in October 2010 after Davies was absent due to illness. He left Forest along with Davies in June 2011. He returned to former club
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is th ...
as
Dean Smith Dean Edwards Smith (February 28, 1931 – February 7, 2015) was an American men's college basketball head coach. Called a "coaching legend" by the Basketball Hall of Fame, he coached for 36 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel H ...
's assistant in January 2013. However, he left the club after just nine days to assist Billy Davies, who had just been re-appointed as Nottingham Forest manager. He and Davies were sacked by Forest in March 2014, and he settled out of court with the club over alleged unpaid bonuses and for breach of contract. After taking charge at Scunthorpe United in October 2014,
Mark Robins Mark Gordon Robins (born 22 December 1969) is an English football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Coventry City in the EFL Championship. As a player, he was a striker and is best known for his time in the Premier Leagu ...
appointed Kelly as his assistant. The pair were sacked in January 2016. He was brought in to assist caretaker-manager Michael Brown at
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
in December 2016. On 16 September 2017, Brown was sacked following seven games without a win, and Kelly and Chris Morgan were installed as caretaker-managers. The duo took charge of four games, before departing the club when
Neil Aspin Neil Aspin (born 12 April 1965) is an English football manager and former player. A solid defender who could play at centre-back and right-back, he was a good marker and an adept tackler. He made his debut in the English Football League for L ...
was appointed as manager on 4 October. He was appointed as the new development coach at
Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...
in June 2019.


Personal life

Kelly has been named in ''
Show Racism the Red Card Show Racism the Red Card (SRTRC) is an anti-racism education charity, established in England in January 1996 to harness the high-profile nature of footballers as anti-racist role models to educate against racism throughout society in the United K ...
s Hall of Fame. In the 1990s he started a
golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...
business with his former Walsall manager, Tommy Coakley.


Career statistics


Club


International


Managerial statistics


Honours

Awards * PFA Team of the Year ( Third Division): 1986–87 Walsall *
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 ...
play-offs:
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...
Newcastle United * Football League First Division:
1992–93 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
Sunderland * Football League First Division: 1995–96 Tranmere Rovers *
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
runner-up:
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
Derry City * FAI Cup: 2002


See also

*
List of Republic of Ireland international footballers born outside the Republic of Ireland The Republic of Ireland national football team, as governed by the Football Association of Ireland, has featured many players who were not born in the Republic of Ireland. The first player to be capped after qualifying through his parents' nati ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, David 1965 births Living people Footballers from Birmingham, West Midlands English people of Irish descent English footballers Republic of Ireland association footballers Republic of Ireland B international footballers Republic of Ireland international footballers Republic of Ireland under-21 international footballers Republic of Ireland under-23 international footballers Association football forwards West Bromwich Albion F.C. players Alvechurch F.C. players Walsall F.C. players West Ham United F.C. players Leicester City F.C. players Newcastle United F.C. players Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players Sunderland A.F.C. players Tranmere Rovers F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Motherwell F.C. players Mansfield Town F.C. players Derry City F.C. players English Football League players Premier League players Scottish Premier League players League of Ireland players UEFA Euro 1988 players 1990 FIFA World Cup players 1994 FIFA World Cup players English football managers Port Vale F.C. managers English Football League managers Association football coaches Tranmere Rovers F.C. non-playing staff Sheffield United F.C. non-playing staff Preston North End F.C. non-playing staff Derby County F.C. non-playing staff Walsall F.C. non-playing staff Scunthorpe United F.C. non-playing staff Port Vale F.C. non-playing staff Northampton Town F.C. non-playing staff