Note: There has been more than one player to play for Celtic with the same name, so please check the other namesakes if need be.
Personal
Fullname: John Carmichael Kelly
aka: Jock Kelly, Johnny Kelly, John Kelly
Born: 21 Feb 1921
Died: 2 Jan 2001
Birthplace: Paisley
Signed: 2 Nov 1938
Left: Sep 1941 (to Morton)
Position: Outside-left
Debut: Celtic 2-1 Cowdenbeath, League, Aug 26, 1939.
Internationals: Scotland
International Caps: 2
International Goals: 0
Biog
Paisley-born John Kelly was a quick outside-left who signed for Celtic from Arthurlie in November 1938.
Kelly made his debut in a 2-1 league win at Cowdenbeath on August 26th 1939. However, the league set-up was suspended early as war soon broke out.
He was to make a further 29 appearances in the Regional League for Celtic and scored three goals, one each against Dumbarton (4-0), Queen’s Park (4-4) and Airdrie (4-2).
The club was hitting a rut, and had finished in 13th in the truncated league in season 1939-40 so changes were needed. Granted John Kelly was kept on in the side for the first half of the next season but he was soon displaced in the side by old stalwart Matt Lynch, who was a fine player but possibly it was a step backwards.
His services are regarded to have been rather carelessly discarded by Celtic who sold him to Morton in 1941, which was not necessarily a step down as a whole, as Celtic were woeful throughout the current war years. Morton even once finished second to Rangers in the league standings whilst Celtic finished 17th points behind Morton in 9th place that season (1942-43).
Whilst in Greenock, John Kelly proved to be a top class wide-man with an eye for goal, which is what likely won him his transfer to Barnsley. His form was then rewarded with two Scotland caps in 1948 (a victory against N Ireland & Wales).
He remained at Barnsley for many years till 1953, around 8 years of service, before returning up north for spells at Falkirk and a return to Morton. He then wrapped up his career with spells at Halifax Town & Portadown.
It was not the end of his Celtic life. He later played for ‘Celtic Old Crocks‘ against Rangers equivalent at Kirkintilloch on 11 June 1969, and was turning out at the grand old age of 52 for a Celtic/Rangers XI against Glasgow Police on 23 May 1973. That latter match must have been one curious match to watch.
He passed away in 2001.
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES | LEAGUE | REGIONAL LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 1938-41 | 1 | 29 | – | – | 30 |
| Goals: | 0 | 3 | – | – | 3 |
Honours with Celtic
none
Pictures
Link
Obituary
Johnny Kelly
Source: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12154509.johnny-kelly/
JOHNNY KELLY, one of the most enthusiastic footballers of all time, has died at the age of 79. He was a left-winger of the old school: fast, tricky, possessed of a powerful shot that seemed improbable given his slight build.
His was a career retrieved from early adversity. He had signed for Celtic in 1938 from his local junior side, Arthurlie – for all through his life he was a Barr-head man. The outbreak of war resulted in the cancellation of all professional contracts and Johnny Kelly could easily have disappeared as reserve teams were disbanded and Celtic in particular went into a twilight haze that would last for six years.
He had the sense to realise that he had to get out and in 1941 he moved to Morton. The Greenock side was thriving during the war. The shipyards were at full blast and there was money in the town. He had the advantage of playing with inside-forwards of the calibre of Billy Steel and Tommy Orr and even, on one or two occasions, with Sir Stanley Matthews and Tommy Lawton, who guested periodically for Morton.
His good performances were recognised by a wartime cap against England at Hampden in April 1945. It was a grim baptism, for England won 6-1 and the leading contributors to the Scottish downfall were that very same Matthews and Lawton. In November of the same year, however, he was transferred to Barnsley. From my point of view, as a boy, he was transferred a week too late, for in his last game as a Morton player they had met Queen’s Park at Hampden. Three down after half an hour, Queen’s had got it back to 3-3 with five minutes to go and they were a powerful side. The tide of the match was flowing strongly their way when Johnny Kelly got the ball far out left, cut in, and sent in a drive which lodged in the stanchion 6ft or so off the ground.
His time at Barnsley was notable for the Oakwell crowd’s appreciation of his individual skills, skills not lacking in the Barnsley side which included Danny Blanchflower and Jimmy Baxter at wing-half, Blanchflower the artist, Baxter the driver. Upfront, young Tommy Taylor might have become a legendary England player had he not been killed in the Munich disaster.
Johnny Kelly’s chances of frequent caps were slender since he had the bad luck to be a contemporary of Billy Liddell but he did play against Wales and Northern Ireland in 1949. With the present crippling shortage of natural left-sided Scottish players it is odd to reflect how well provided we then were.
He came back to Falkirk in 1953 and followed this with a second tour of duty at Cappielow. He went south again to try his luck with Halifax Town but the pace had gone and he was happy enough to play out time with Portadown in the Irish league.
Johnny Kelly regarded it as a winger’s duty to entertain. This meant beating full-backs and establishing ascendancy over them. He had no greater admirer than Michael Parkinson who swore that Alf Ramsey decided to do without wingers after being repeatedly turned over by Johnny.
During the war he could be seen on Sunday mornings in the Cowan Park, Barrhead, taking part in bounce games with the local fire brigade which appeared to have signed him on as a player along with another international, another Cowan, Jimmy of that ilk.
This wonderful urge to play football persisted at least into the 1960s and for years he carried his football boots in the car on the off chance that somewhere there was a game in which one of the teams might be a man short. He would play with anyone with not the slightest hint of condescension. He was a dapper player, although his hair went early in life and even in his twenties he would attract shouts of ”watch that old yin”.
Players very often say that they would play for nothing and no-one exemplified this more than John Carmichael Kelly. He was a professional and a very good one but in his romantic attachment to the game, an attachment that was lifelong, he was like the reluctant scholar released from school who before the classroom door swung shut was off to play ”three and in” or ”wee headies”.
He will be remembered.
