Born in
Northampton, Kelly started his football career as a junior with Chelsea, but after two seasons (1959/60 and 1960/1), he was released and joined
Wimbledon in the
Isthmian League, as an amateur player. He was in the Wimbledon teams which beat
Sutton United in the final of the
FA Amateur Cup in
1963, won the championship of the Isthmian League in two consecutive seasons, and finished runners-up in the
Southern League First Division. During this period he was
capped three times for the
England national amateur football team. In 1966 he turned professional with
Queens Park Rangers, spending four seasons with the club. He then moved on to
Birmingham City, where he spent six years, followed by one season as
player-coach of the
Minnesota Kicks in the
NASL, before returning to England to start a career in coaching. ==Coaching career==