Kelly: Gary Oliver (Gary)

1991-2006 (Player Details)

Right Back

Born: Drogheda, Republic of Ireland: 09-07-1974

Debut: v Scunthorpe United (h) (substitute): 08-10-1991

5’8” 10st 12lb (1983)

#44 in 100 Greatest LUFC Players Ever

From struggling Reserve-team front man to World Cup Full-Back. That was the remarkable rise of Gary Kelly in 1993-94. The uncle of Ian Harte, he was the youngest in a family of thirteen, he was signed in July 1991 from Home Farm, the Dublin club that had produced so many Irish Stars over the years, Johnny Giles among them. He was a striker in the juniors when he was pitched into first-team action as a seventeen-year-old substitute winger in a League Cup-tie against Scunthorpe United, having had only fifteen minutes of reserve-team football under his belt. Apart from brief substitute appearances, he did not re-emerge until the start of the 1993-94 season when Howard Wilkinson, recognizing his potential as a wing back, fielded him at right-back on the opening day at Manchester City. With Mel Sterland out of the picture Kelly made the Number Two shirt his own with a series of superb displays, his blinding speed and tenacity making him a daunting opponent for any winger. He matured so rapidly that Jack Charlton awarded him his first full Eire Cap against Russia in March 1994 and within momths was on his way to the Wotld Cup Finals in the United States. Ever-present for two successive seasons he had still not scored for Leeds, but had managed to find the mark at international level, netting in a 2-0 win in Germany. The season of 1998-99 was a bad one for Kelly as he never featured in a game after shin splint problems occurred in the pre-season games. Having overcome the shin problem, at the start of 1999-2000, he found that there was no place for him in the starting line-up, as the newly-arrived Danny Mills was being given his chance. Mills started well, but then had a couple of poor games, and so Kelly was finally given the chance to restart his career. He was gave his usual solid performances, but: had lost some of the pace he used to have. He countered that by using his experience to out think opponents. His crossing and distribution improved, but at a time when the Leeds central defence was unsettled, communication seemed to sometimes break down. Eventually he silenced any critics by once again making the right back role his own. Another injury in 2000-01 gave Danny Mills the chance to reclaim a place in the starting line-up with the result that Gary was back on the bench or only taking up the right-back slot when Mills was switched to the centre of the defence. In 2001-02, Danny Mills was clearly the first choice right back, and Gary found himself on the bench once more. However, Leeds suffered yet another injury crisis and that gave him the chance to come back into the side in midfield, where he played well and improved his crossing ability. Danny Mills ran into suspension due to his unstable temperament and Kelly re-establish himself in the first team while Mills sat on the sidelines, and his performances did enough to convince Mick McCarthy to pick him for the World Cup where he performanced well. He was awarded a testimonial in 2001-02, and he was widely praised for donating the proceeds of the match against Celtic to cancer charities, a cause close to his heart following the untimely death of his sister from the disease. Summer 2002 saw him linked with several clubs, Celtic and Sunderland among them, but he remained at Elland Road and fought to get back into the starting line-up. With the injuries and player sales in 2002-03, Danny Mills was forced to fill in at centre back on occasion, so Kelly operated at right back once more, as well as sometimes playing on the right side of midfield. Kelly had won fifty-one international caps playing for theRepublic of Ireland, before his retirement from international football. He represented them at both the 1994 and 2002 World Cups and also played at Schoolboy and Youth level as well as making five appearances for the Under-twenty-one team. He was also only the tenth player to ever make over five hundred appearances for Leeds United, making the feat against Luton Town in Leeds' 2-1 victory at Elland Road on 25th February 2006. He is the only player from the non-Revie era to reach this milestone. Kelly played regularly in the first half of his sixteenth season at Elland Road, and with his high wage contract expiring at the end of the season, this became a point for argument. On 26th October 2006, new Leeds manager Dennis Wise revealed Shaun Derry was replacing Kelly as vice captain, ending Kelly's long reign in that position. After sixteen years of loyal service to the club, a presentation of a crystal cut vase was made to Kelly at the last home game of the 2006-07 season by other Leeds United legends of the past Paul Reaney, Allan Clarke, Mick Jones, and Frank Worthington. He retired at the end of the season, aged thirty-two.