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 Bray Wanderers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Fánaithe Bhré) are an Irish association football club playing in the League of Ireland First Division. The club in its present form was founded in 1942 in Bray, and was known until 2010 as ''B ...

and Drumcondra in his home country, and most notably for

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syst ...

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

. In 1956, he joined Drumcondra, with whom he had won a

FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Extra.ie FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as Derry ...

winners medal in 1957 and a League Championship in 1958. In 1960, he moved to

. Kelly won the first of his 47

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 ...

. 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 ...

. In league 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 Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Sto ...

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 Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional Association football, football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football league system, English football. The club was ...

, 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 Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

side D.C. United 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 *

: 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 since its inception in 1967–68: References {{DEFAULTSORT:Preston North End, Fan's Player Of The Year Award Winners Preston North End F.C. Preston Preston is a pl ...

: 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