Republic of Ireland international ended playing career with 2002 cup triumph
“I had hoped to get a flight the night before, but it couldn’t be sorted,” recalls Kelly. “So I had a flight early on the morning of the game, still leaving plenty of time. Then, disaster, flights were delayed and cancelled because of fog. The longer the wait went on, the more I feared the worst.”
Eventually the skies cleared and the fading of the light on Kelly’s career was put on hold. With roughly 50 minutes to kick-off he crashed through the dressing room door in a state of flux and relief, greeted by satirical applause and raucous whooping, with some Derry players wondering aloud how much Kelly would be fined for turning up late.
Derry won the cup final 1-0, Liam Coyle netting the only goal early in the second half. Kelly cleared a goal-bound header by Rovers off the line soon after, but that is not the moment he reflects on most from his own performance. In his career, Kelly was part of Ireland squads at Euro 88, Italia 90 and USA 94. He is also remembered by many Irish fans for his goal against England at Lansdowne Road in 1995, a game that was abandoned because of rioting.
The 2002 FAI cup final, for all the external melodrama, was a proud day for Kelly who, despite a lengthy career, had never won a cup medal until then. Still, that evening he was back at the airport. The following morning he was a former player coaching at Tranmere. Kelly has since built up an extensive coaching CV with clubs including Preston North End, Nottingham Forest, Scunthorpe and most recently Northampton Town. Having taken a break, he is now keen to get back involved again and he has never forgotten his brief, but rewarding, spell at the Brandywell.“I have an app and it’s set up to alert me whenever any of the clubs I’ve been involved with score a goal.
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