Gerry Kelly (footballer)

Gerry Kelly
Personal information
Full name	Gerard Michael Kelly
Date of birth	18 September 1908
Place of birth	South Hylton, Sunderland, England
Date of death	January qtr. 1983 (aged 74)
Place of death	Luton, England
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s)	Winger
Youth career
	Castletown
	Hylton Colliery Welfare
Senior career*
Years	Team
1927–1928	Sunderland
1928–1929	Nelson
1929–1931	Huddersfield Town
1931–1932	Charlton Athletic
1932–1936	Chester
1936–1937	Port Vale
1937–1939	Southampton
Total
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Gerard Michael Kelly (18 September 1908 – January qtr. 1983)^[1]^[2] was an English footballer who scored 67 goals in 216 league appearances in a 12-year career in the Football League from 1927 to 1939. He played for Sunderland, Nelson, Huddersfield Town, Charlton Athletic, Chester, Port Vale, and Southampton.

Career

Kelly left Hylton Colliery at 19 to sign for Sunderland in 1927. He never made the first team at Roker Park and the following year joined Nelson. He scored 11 goals in 38 appearances in the 1928–29 season, bagging his first goal in the Football League in a 5–1 win over Southport at Haig Avenue on 8 September. He scored four goals in nine Third Division North games in the 1929–30 campaign before departing Seedhill.

He signed with Huddersfield Town,^[3] and scored seven goals in 14 First Division games in the 1929–30 season. He scored eight goals in 20 appearances for the "Terriers" in the 1930–31 campaign, including a hat-trick against Manchester United at Old Trafford on 10 September. However, he played just four games at Leeds Road at the start of the 1931–32 season before signing with Charlton Athletic, and seeing out the 1931–32 season with six goals in 20 Second Division games for the "Addicks".

He then left The Valley and joined Chester. The "Seals" finished fourth in the Third Division North in 1932–33, before posting tenth and third-place finishes in 1933–34 and 1934–35 He scored 27 goals in 73 league appearances in his time at Sealand Road. He joined Third Division North side Port Vale for a "substantial fee" in June 1936.^[1] Starting firmly in the first XI, his place slipped away over the 1936–37 season and he went on to score twice in 21 league and cup games.^[1] He also played for the reserve team in the Cheshire County League and represented the league against a Southern Football League XI at Portman Road on 27 February 1937.^[4] In August 1937 he was given a free transfer from The Old Recreation Ground to Second Division club Southampton.^[1]

A very quick right-winger who could also play as a centre-forward, he arrived at The Dell to add depth to the Southampton forward line. Although he brought a wealth of experience with him, he spent most of his time in the reserves, and in his two years on the south coast, he made only 19 first-team appearances, scoring twice.^[2] Following the outbreak of the Second World War his professional career ended and he retired from the game.^[2]

Career statistics

Source:^[5]

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sunderland	1927–28	First Division	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nelson	1928–29	Third Division North	38	11	0	0	0	0	38	11
	1929–30	Third Division North	9	4	0	0	0	0	9	4
	Total		47	15	0	0	0	0	47	15
Huddersfield Town	1929–30	First Division	14	7	0	0	0	0	14	7
	1930–31	First Division	19	8	1	0	0	0	20	8
	1931–32	First Division	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	Total		37	15	1	0	0	0	38	15
Charlton Athletic	1931–32	Second Division	12	5	0	0	0	0	12	5
	1932–33	Second Division	8	1	0	0	0	0	8	1
	Total		20	6	0	0	0	0	20	6
Chester	1932–33	Third Division North	15	5	1	0	0	0	16	5
	1933–34	Third Division North	19	7	0	0	3	0	22	7
	1934–35	Third Division North	25	8	2	2	1	1	28	11
	1935–36	Third Division North	14	7	0	0	0	0	14	7
	Total		73	27	3	2	4	1	80	30
Port Vale	1936–37	Third Division North	20	2	1	0	0	0	21	2
Southampton	1937–38	Second Division	14	2	0	0	0	0	14	2
	1938–39	Second Division	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
	1939–40		0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
	Total		19	2	0	0	1	0	20	2
Career total			216	67	5	2	5	1	226	70

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 161. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
^ ^a ^b ^c Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. p. 194. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3.
^ 99 Years & Counting – Stats & Stories – Huddersfield Town History
^ official matchday programme Port Vale v Cambridge United (PDF). 27 February 2021. p. 25. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
^ Gerry Kelly at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)

[kent-1] Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 161. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.

[ABC-2] Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. p. 194. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3.

[3] 99 Years & Counting – Stats & Stories – Huddersfield Town History

[4] official matchday programme Port Vale v Cambridge United (PDF). 27 February 2021. p. 25. Retrieved 20 August 2023.

[5] Gerry Kelly at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)

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