Biography
Beverley born goalkeeper Gavin Kelly came through the apprentice ranks at Hull City after signing schoolboy terms in March 1984 while attending Headlands School in Bridlington. He also played for the East Riding County FA Junior team, winning the FA County Youth Cup in May 1985 after a brace from future City team-mate Nicky Brown. Gavin quickly received rave reviews while playing for the City youth team and signed YTS forms in July 1985, graduating to City’s Reserves team a few months later and becoming City’s second choice keeper in the 1986/87 season when John Davies was injured and subsequently retired.
Gavin signed his first professional contract in May 1987, six months later an international call-up for first choice keeper Tony Norman handed Kelly a first team debut in a Tuesday night Full Members’ Cup fixture at faraway Charlton, which saw the Tigers defeated after a penalty shoot-out. Ten months later in September 1988 Gavin again deputised for Tony Norman in a league match at Oldham, a 2-2 draw, which bought to an end the Welshman’s record-breaking run of 226 successive league appearances that extended back to 1983. By the 1989/90 season Norman was gone and City’s first choice keeper was the erratic Iain Hesford. Gavin had already deputised twice for Hesford at the end of the 1988/89 season and in September and October 1989 Kelly played nine consecutive matches when Hesford was left injured (and red-faced) after a 4-5 defeat at Bournemouth. Colin Appleton’s Tigers side was in turmoil and though no blame can be laid at the young netminder’s door, they failed to win any of nine games Kelly spent between the sticks. Hesford returned from injury in early October and Kelly, who had only just signed an improved one year contract, never appeared for the City first XI again, joining Bristol Rovers on loan in March 1990 (where he made no first team appearances) and receiving a free transfer in May 1990.
In July 1990 Kelly signed a permanent deal with Bristol Rovers, who had just won promotion to Division Two. He made his debut for Rovers in January 1991 against Charlton Athletic, the same side that featured in his City debut. For two seasons he was used as backup to first choice netminder Brian Parkin until the latter half of the 1992/93 season when Gavin started 17 of the last 23 League games. His final appearance for Bristol Rovers came in March 1994, his only first team appearance of the 1993/94 season, which took his tally to 32 appearances in four seasons. In August 1994 he returned to the East Coast and signed for League Division 3 side Scarborough, in two seasons with the Seadogs he made 39 appearances and was first choice netminder for much of the 1994/95 season.
Between June 1996 and August 1997 Gavin tried his hand overseas, joining Hong Kong side Golden. On his return he spent two months at North Ferriby United before signing for Harrogate Town. A season at Wetherby Road was followed by a season at Whitby Town, then in July 1999 he signed for Bradford Park Avenue. He won a Northern Premier League Division 1 winners medal with Park Avenue in 2001, then in December of that year he joined Bridlington Town where he played until the end of his career in 2007. In September 2005 he briefly signed non-contract terms for his former club Scarborough, where he was goalkeeping coach, when they had a run of injuries.
Following his playing career Kelly remained in the game as a freelance goalkeeping coach, running training courses for kids and working with a number of clubs in the East Yorkshire non-league scene and beyond. He also regularly turned out for various veterans’ teams.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 29 September 1968, Beverley
Hull City First Game: 10 November 1987, Charlton Athletic A (Full Members’ Cup First Round), 19 years, 42 days old
Hull City Final Game: 7 October 1989, Swindon Town H (Division Two), 21 years, 8 days old
Clubs
Hull City (1985-1990), Bristol Rovers (1990, loan), Bristol Rovers (1990-1994), Scarborough (1994-1996), Golden (1996-1997), North Ferriby United (1997), Harrogate Town (1997-1998), Whitby Town (1998-1999), Frickley Athetic (1999, loan), Bradford Park Avenue (1999-2001), Bridlington Town (2001-2007)
Hull City Record
Career: 13 apps, 0 goals
Gavin Kelly| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985/86 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1986/87 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1987/88 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 1988/89 | 3 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1989/90 | 8 (0) | 0 | – | – | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – |