Heart of Midlothian Kelly joined
Hearts from
Arthurlie in 1942 and soon became a regular fixture in their
wartime competition line-ups. Predominantly a
centre forward, although occasionally deployed at
outside left, he was a powerful, combative player, renowned for his bravery. A notable example of his determination occurred in a match against
Kilmarnock during the
1946–47 season when, in an attempt to meet an errant cross, he collided with a goalpost at full stretch. The power of the impact shattered his
collarbone but also cracked the wooden goal-frame! He was also a frequent goalscorer throughout his career, with a seven-goal haul in a 10–3 defeat of
Albion Rovers in 1943 his most illustrious scoring feat.
Aberdeen In December 1947, with Hearts struggling in the League, their manager
Davie McLean moved to sign
Aberdeen's
Scottish international forward
George Hamilton, with Archie Kelly and £8,000 going to Aberdeen in recompense. Despite playing only half a season for the
Dons, Kelly finished the
1947–48 season as their top League scorer. The following season found Aberdeen battling against relegation and was also frustrating for Kelly on a personal level, as he struggled with a bad knee injury. Aberdeen's main problem was their porous defence; Motherwell eventually won 3–0, securing only their second national trophy. The side also reached the Scottish Cup final that year but succumbed 1–0 to
Celtic. Motherwell made amends for their Scottish Cup final disappointment the next season, defeating
Dundee comprehensively by 4–0. Kelly scored the final goal in front of the biggest crowd ever recorded for a domestic club match not involving the
Old Firm.
Later career Surprisingly, Motherwell suffered their first ever relegation the following year, although in an incredibly tight competition they finished only five points behind fourth-placed Hearts. Kelly was one of several big-name players to leave the club, joining perennial yo-yo team
Stirling Albion in 1953. He helped the
Binos avoid relegation from the top division in
1953–54 before joining Second Division
Ayr United in January 1955. He finished his career after a short stint with
Cowdenbeath. ==References==