David Kelly

David Thomas Kelly (born 25 November 1965), also known by the nickname Ned Kelly, is a former Republic of Ireland international footballer and football coach.

He joined Walsall following a successful trial in 1981, and turned professional at the club under Alan Buckley two years later.

As a child, Kelly suffered from Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease, but recovered to win a move from non-League Alvechurch and turn professional at Walsall in 1983.

He scored three goals in six Third Division games in the 1983–84 season, before winning a regular first team place in the 1984–85 campaign, scoring 13 goals from 41 appearances.

He provided ten goals from 28 league games in the 1985–86 campaign, before his career took off under new manager Tommy Coakley; he top-scored with 26 goals from 55 appearances as the "Saddlers" posted an eighth-place finish in 1986–87, and was named in the Third Division PFA Team of the Year.

He was named in the 1986–87 Third Division PFA Team of the Year, and scored a hat-trick in the 1988 play-off final to secure the club promotion out of the Third Division.

He then scored 30 goals from 54 matches in the 1987–88 season as Walsall won promotion via the play-offs in 1988; he scored a hat-trick in the replay of the 1988 play-off final as Walsall beat Bristol City to achieve promotion.

He went on to have a week-long trial at Bayern Munich, but did not join the club despite Uli Hoeneß reportedly comparing him to Denis Law.

Bundesliga restricted clubs to just two foreign players and Kelly refused Bayern's offer to sign him and loan him out whilst they looked to offload one of their two foreign players.

He scored a total of 82 goals in 190 league and cup appearances over the course of five seasons at Fellows Park, and the transfer fee received for him remains a club record.

He scored nine goals in 26 international games for the Republic of Ireland, and was a squad member for UEFA Euro 1988, the 1990 FIFA World Cup, and the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

A forward, he scored a total of 250 goals in 744 league and cup appearances in a 19-year career in professional football.

He was sold to West Ham United for £600,000 in August 1988, but struggled for form before being sold on to Leicester City for half that sum in March 1990.

His exploits attracted the attention of West Ham United, who signed him for a fee of £600,000 in August 1988.

He made his debut in a 4–0 defeat to Southampton.

His stay at the Boleyn Ground proved to be largely unsuccessful as an initially promising strike partnership with Leroy Rosenior floundered as he scored only six goals in 25 First Division games as John Lyall's "Hammers" suffered relegation in 1988–89.

Kelly also failed to find form for the club under new boss Lou Macari in the Second Division, scoring just two goals in 24 matches of the 1989–90 campaign.

He recaptured his form at Filbert Street, scoring seven goals from just ten games in the latter stages of the 1989–90 season.

Kelly was sold to David Pleat's Leicester City for a fee of £300,000 in March 1990.

He then top-scored with 15 goals from 48 games to help new "Foxes" boss Gordon Lee avoid relegation out of the Second Division in 1990–91.

He then moved on to Newcastle United for a fee of £250,000 in December 1991.

He helped Newcastle to avoid relegation out of the Second Division in 1991–92 and then win promotion into the Premier League as champions of the newly renamed First Division in 1992–93.

They mounted a challenge for promotion under the stewardship of Brian Little in 1991–92, though Kelly would leave the club midway through the season.

Kelly was signed to Second Division Newcastle United in December 1991 after manager Osvaldo Ardiles agreed a fee of £250,000.

He scored 11 league goals for the "Magpies", including the winning goal over Tyne–Wear derby rivals Sunderland, as they avoided relegation in 1991–92.

He was then the club's top-scorer with 28 goals from 57 games as Kevin Keegan steered Newcastle to promotion into the Premier League as champions of the First Division.

In his final game for United, on the last day of the season against his old club Leicester City, Kelly and new strike-partner Andy Cole both scored hat-tricks in a 7–1 win at St James' Park.

He was named as Newcastle United's Player of the Year, but was allowed to leave the club due to the return of Peter Beardsley.

Kelly remained a highly popular figure at Newcastle, even commanding a standing ovation upon returning to St James' Park in Sunderland colours.

He remained in the First Division however, having been signed by Wolverhampton Wanderers for a £750,000 fee in June 1993.

Kelly did not make the move back to the top-flight with Newcastle as he was transferred to First Division side Wolverhampton Wanderers in June 1993 after manager Graham Turner paid £750,000 to secure his services.

He hit 14 goals from 44 games in the 1993–94 season, as Wolves posted an eighth-place finish.

He top-scored for Wolves in 1994–95, before he was purchased by Sunderland for £900,000 shortly before they won promotion as champions of the First Division at the end of the 1995–96 season.

New manager Graham Taylor then took Wolves to fourth place in 1994–95, with Kelly top-scoring with 22 goals in 54 appearances, breaking Steve Bull's run of eight consecutive seasons as Wolves's top-scorer.

However, he lost his first team place at Molineux to Don Goodman early in the 1995–96 season and requested a transfer.

He dropped back into the First Division after joining Tranmere Rovers for £350,000 in 1997, and spent three seasons with Rovers, playing on the losing side of the 2000 League Cup final.

Following brief spells with Sheffield United, Motherwell, and Mansfield Town, he finished his career at Derry City, winning the 2002 FAI Cup in his final match as a player.

He remained within football after retiring as a player, and went on to coach at Tranmere Rovers, Sheffield United, Preston North End, Derby County, Walsall, Scunthorpe United, and Port Vale.

Kelly was diagnosed with Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease at the age of five, and at one stage his left leg was 4 in shorter than the right leg, and he was on crutches until the age of ten.

He played football for Bartley Green Boys regardless, and was attached to West Bromwich Albion before he was released by Albion, at which stage he worked as a trolley porter at Cadbury's whilst representing the youth team at non-League side Alvechurch.