Walter Keeley
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Walter Keeley[1] | ||
Date of birth | 1 April 1921 | ||
Place of birth | Manchester, England | ||
Date of death | 1995 (aged 73–74) | ||
Height | 5 ft 9+1⁄2 in (1.77 m)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Outside left | ||
Youth career | |||
RAF | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1944–1946 | Accrington Stanley (wartime) | 54 | (26) |
1944–1946 | Manchester United (wartime) | 3 | (1) |
1946–1947 | Accrington Stanley | 48 | (21) |
1947–1948 | Bury | 7 | (0) |
1948 | Port Vale | 18 | (3) |
1948–1951 | Accrington Stanley | 101 | (35) |
1951–1952 | Rochdale | 4 | (0) |
Fleetwood | |||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Walter Keeley (1 April 1921 – 1995) was an English footballer who played as an outside left in the 1940s and 1950s.
Career
[edit]Keeley played for the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He guested for both Accrington Stanley and Manchester United before joining Accrington Stanley permanently as a professional in 1946. Despite Keeley's healthy goal record, Accrington Stanley finished 20th in the 22-team Third Division North in 1946–47. He moved on to Bury of the Second Division in 1947–48 before he signed with Third Division South club Port Vale for 'a substantial fee', in exchange for Alf Bellis in January 1948.[3] He made an excellent debut, scoring twice in a 3–0 win over Leyton Orient at The Old Recreation Ground on 10 January 1948.[3] He played a further 15 games in 1947–48, but only scored one goal (against Newport County), and so lost his place in August 1948, two games into the 1948–49 season.[3] He was sold on to old club Accrington Stanley for £1,500 the next month. They finished one place and three points above the re-election zone in 1948–49, rose to 13th in 1949–50, and then finished 21st in 1950–51, and were forced to apply for re-election. He played for Stanley's league rivals Rochdale in 1951–52, who finished 21st, one place above Stanley. He later turned out for non-League side Fleetwood.
Career statistics
[edit]Source:[4]
Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
Accrington Stanley | 1945–46 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 3 | |
1946–47 | Third Division North | 36 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 38 | 14 | |
1947–48 | Third Division North | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 8 | |
Total | 48 | 21 | 8 | 4 | 56 | 25 | ||
Bury | 1947–48 | Second Division | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
Port Vale | 1947–48 | Third Division South | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3 |
1948–49 | Third Division South | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
Total | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | ||
Accrington Stanley | 1948–49 | Third Division North | 30 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 13 |
1949–50 | Third Division North | 35 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 9 | |
1950–51 | Third Division North | 34 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 13 | |
1951–52 | Third Division North | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
Total | 101 | 35 | 2 | 0 | 103 | 35 | ||
Rochdale | 1951–52 | Third Division North | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Career total | 178 | 59 | 11 | 4 | 189 | 63 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Walter Keeley". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ "Rochdale team pen-pictures". Derby Daily Telegraph. 24 November 1951. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ a b c Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 159. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ^ Walter Keeley at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
- 1921 births
- 1995 deaths
- Footballers from Manchester
- English men's footballers
- Men's association football wingers
- Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
- Accrington Stanley F.C. (1891) players
- Manchester United F.C. wartime guest players
- Bury F.C. players
- Port Vale F.C. players
- Rochdale A.F.C. players
- Fleetwood Town F.C. players
- English Football League players
- 20th-century English sportsmen