Tony Kelly (footballer, born 1966)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nyrere Anthony Okpara Kelly | ||
| Date of birth | 14 February 1966 | ||
| Place of birth | Coventry, England | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1980–1982 | Bristol City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1982–1983 | Bristol City | 6 | (1) |
| 1983 | Nuneaton Borough | ||
| 1983–1985 | Stratford Town | ||
| 1985–1986 | Dulwich Hamlet | ||
| 1987 | Corinthian-Casuals | ||
| 1987–1988 | Cheshunt | ||
| 1988 | Enfield Town | ||
| 1988–1990 | St Albans City | ||
| 1989 | → Gimonäs CK (loan) | ||
| 1990–1993 | Stoke City | 58 | (5) |
| 1991–1992 | → Hull City (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 1992–1993 | → Cardiff City (loan) | 5 | (1) |
| 1993–1995 | Bury | 56 | (10) |
| 1995–1997 | Leyton Orient | 44 | (4) |
| 1996 | → Colchester United (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1997 | Falkirk | 1 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | St Albans City | ||
| 1998–1999 | Harlow Town | ||
| Total | 179 | (22) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Nyrere Anthony Okpara "Tony" Kelly (born 14 February 1966) is a former English footballer who played as a winger.
Kelly began his career with Bristol City but after failing to establish himself in the first team he entered non-league football. He played for Nuneaton Borough, Stratford Town, Dulwich Hamlet, Corinthian-Casuals, Cheshunt, Enfield Town, Gimonäs CK (Sweden) and St Albans City.
He joined Stoke City in January 1990 and at the Victoria Ground Kelly was never a regular but did play in the 1992 Football League Trophy Final victory over . After loan spells at Hull City and Cardiff City he signed permanently with Bury and later played with Leyton Orient, Colchester United, Falkirk and made a return to St Albans City before ending his career at Harlow Town. Throughout his career Kelly struggled with a gambling addiction and ran up debts of over £300,000.
Kelly was born in Coventry and was one of seven children including his twin brother Mel. They both went to the same school in the Tile Hill area of the city before they moved to Coundon on the other side of the city. After playing football with the school team Kelly and his brother joined a Sunday League side, Coundon Cockerels managed by a Scotsman, Dave McLeod. Two of his other brothers were also involved with football, Abby who played in non-league and Errington who made it as a professional. He moved to Woodlands Secondary School and his PE teacher recommended him to play for the Coventry schoolboys. At high school Kelly had to deal with racist abuse and often got into fights. Kelly became friends with boxer Errol Christie which made going to nightclubs easier.
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