Hughie Kelly
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Hugh Thomas Kelly | ||
| Date of birth | 23 July 1923 | ||
| Place of birth | Valleyfield, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 28 March 2009 (aged 85) | ||
| Place of death | Lytham St Annes, England | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 19??–1943 | Jeanfield Swifts | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1943–1960 | Blackpool | 428 | (8) |
| National team | |||
| 195? | Scotland B | 2 | (0) |
| 1952 | Scotland | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1961–1963 | Ashton United (player-manager) | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Hugh Thomas "Hughie" Kelly (23 July 1923 – 28 March 2009) was a Scottish professional football player and manager. He played as a defender and spent his entire 14-year professional career with Blackpool.
Born in Valleyfield, Fife, Kelly began his career with Perth-based junior club Jeanfield Swifts. He joined English club Blackpool in 1943 as a 20-year-old, but due to the ongoing World War II, he didn't make his League debut for the Seasiders until September 1946. During the war, he guested for several clubs, including East Fife.
It took some time for Kelly to establish himself in Blackpool's half-back line, but by 1948–49, the trio of Harry Johnston, Eric Hayward and Kelly was becoming legendary. He played in both the 1948 and 1951 FA Cup Finals. However, in the final home league game of the 1952–53 season against Liverpool he suffered a broken ankle following a tackle by centre-forward Louis Bimpson and he missed the famous 1953 match-up with Bolton Wanderers, although the club asked the Football Association to produce a special winners' medal for his nomination as "twelfth man". Kelly later said, "I lived a great journey to Wembley. That's what fascinated me. And it was a privilege to know such a good crowd of players. They were lovely. Even though we'd lost the other two, it was great to have played on the sacred turf at Wembley and I have fond memories."
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