The journeyman

THE accents aren’t the only differences between Birmingham and Derry.

That was the first thing David Kelly noticed as he began his weekly journey from his homestead in the midlands to the divided city on the cusp of Northern Ireland. He noticed how the graffiti differed, too, especially coming into the Brandywell.

Birmingham to the Brandywell. It is an intriguing journey, but the journey of David Kelly’s career is even more intriguing. That the most common descriptions tacked onto his name in newspapers are ‘journeyman’ and ‘well travelled striker’ gives you some idea of the twisty roads Kelly’s goal scoring instinct have taken him. Over his 18-year career, Kelly has developed itchier feet than Nicolas Anelka.

You can’t even use your fingers to count the number of clubs Kelly has been with, as his career has spanned 12 clubs and 21 managers. It has been a mixed, occasionally magical career that has seen him play on both sides of the Tyne Wear divide, score a hat-trick on his Irish debut and score a goal against England in that infamous Lansdowne no match, fall out of favour and fall out with managers and now, end up with the only Northern club who play in the eircom League.

There have been some bumpy patches on the road. During his indifferent time with West Ham, one fanzine rather cruelly ran a series on the David Kelly guide to prolific goalscoring. As his time with the Hammers illustrated, he had a tendency to be either loved or hated by any set of supporters. “Yeah, I have got my fair share of, what you would call playful banter over the years. I still get it in the league this year, when we went down to Cork and when we went to Bray. Just a bit of stick, but it’s all been in good fun. If all my time in football has taught me anything, it is not to take that kind of banter too seriously.”

For those who want a snapshot of Kelly’s journey to the Brandywell, here goes (deep breath now): from non League Alverchurch to Walsall for four fruitful years, before moving to Upton Park for a Walsall transfer record. After his time at West Ham, Leicester snapped him up, before his first move to the north east with Newcastle. St James Park and his subsequent move to Wolves represent the most successful part of his career (remember the diving header he scored for Wolves in the Cup a few years ago). Sunderland brought him back to the north east, but injury blighted his time there, John Aldridge then brought to Tranmere, before moving onto Sheffield Utd, Motherwell and finally, Mansfield last season.

Derry City looks a natural career progression after all that. But what brought him across the water. “I was having some problems with Mansfield over renewing my contract, and there were a few offers, Telford United were in for me. But then, Derry approached me. I had a chat with Liam O’Brien about it, he convinced to give it a shot and here I am.”

Did he realise what to expect? “Liam had told me a few things, but I was coming here with an open mind. I didn’t really know what to expect. It was a whole new world to me. And the football is of a good standard. That’s something it’s not given credit for, a lot of people slag the league off but the standard isn’t that bad. Maybe, the crowds will start coming with summer football. The decision was taken for a reason and obviously, everyone wants better revenue.”

Kelly has formed a partnership with Gary Hackett in the Brandywell, or occasionally Derry City legend Liam Coyle. While he is still based in Birmingham, Kelly flys from Birmingham to Belfast, or lately, Manchester to Derry every week to join up with his team-mates. Neil Warnock, one of the 20 odd managers Kelly had the best relationship with, allows the ex international to train with his former colleagues in Bramall Lane.

“When I left Sheffield United a few years, Neil said if there was anything he could do for me, he would be more than happy to do it. And he has been true to his word. At the moment, I have a slight foot injury, so I am not training as much. But, apart from United, there are a few other options around the midlands. So, it has been good.”

Despite a sticky start, for both himself and the team, Derry City have re-tracked their season to such an extent that they will tackle Cork City for a place in the FAI Cup final on Friday night.

Although some within the club have expressed dissatisfaction with the timing of the game, the players themselves are focused on winning the Cup. None more so than Kelly. Cup football has been his bag throughout his career. The image of Kelly racing the length of the pitch to score a diving header for Wolves six seasons ago remains a glittering memory of his career, while he also scored important goals for Newcastle and Tranmere Rovers during their Worthington Cup odyssey four years ago.

“I have always enjoyed the buzz of cup football, there is a real do or die element to it that has always excited me. It helps when I have done well in cup games in the past, I have scored some special goals in the Cup, hopefully I can keep that record going.”

Of course, any conversation with Kelly has to take in his experiences with Ireland. Although it never scaled the heights promised by the hat trick against Israel on his debut, Kelly won 26 caps for Ireland and did manage to score against England only for hooligans to scratch that goal from the record books.

“When you have played for so long, there are so many good times. One of my favourite memories was obviously my debut for Ireland, scoring the hat trick. And all of my experiences with the Irish team I will take to the grave with me, I mean, I was on the squad for three major championships, I went to two World Cups.

“Jack was a big help to my career, because there were difficult times in my club career, when I wasn’t getting on with managers or wasn’t getting on teams and Jack always stuck by me in the Irish set up, he stuck me into teams when I wasn’t playing regularly and that really boosted my confidence. It’s funny, something like that, a little thing like that really helps a player. Because when you are not playing with your club, it can be a hard time for any player, but Jack stuck by me. And I am very grateful for the faith he showed in me.

“Scoring against England was a highlight for me. I know the match was abandoned only a few minutes later, but scoring for Ireland against England is something I will always remember.”

AS someone who went to three major championships with Ireland, Kelly, like every Irish person alive, must have an opinion on Roy Keane’s ejection from the world cup squad. He toes a diplomatic line on this.

“Well, at times over the years, it was ‘seat of your pants’ stuff, you would be hanging round airports for a few hours waiting for gear to come through. But in fairness to the FAI, they have tried to sort it out properly and everything has improved. Roy is a perfectionist and you don’t get similar sort of mix ups at United. When you get to the World Cup and something goes wrong, you are entitled to get an answer for why it has gone wrong. But, he did overstep the mark in what he said to Mick, no question.”

Kelly is back in the midands where he grew up, and it is a fun time to be around England’s second city. For the first time in two decades, there are three Birmingham clubs in the top flight. And Kelly gets to see the pick of the bunch each week, as he works as an analyst for BBC Radio West Midlands.

“There is a real buzz around Birmingham at the moment. You are spoilt for choice with football games every week. When Brum and West Brom came into the Premiership, most people said they would go straight back down. But, they have shown already they are willing to fight to stay in this division. Both Gary Megson and Steve Bruce are fine managers, and people won’t relish playing either club this season.”

A life in football that has taken him from Motherwell to Mansfield, Walsall to Derry, has ensured Kelly has a place to stay wherever he may be in the British Isles. His contacts in the game reflect the strange journey of his career.

“I get information from everywhere. I have played with teams in all parts of the country, and now I have friends playing at all different levels. Across the spectrum of football, from Morton in Scottish Division three to the conference and footballers are still as honest and committed in those leagues.”

And what are the most special memories? “It is hard to pinpoint one club with whom I have had the fondest memories. All of them have been special for me. It is great to have done what I have done, to have played for so many clubs throughout my career and never really had any serious injuries. I did do my ankle when I was at Sunderland which kept me out for five months, but apart from that, everything else has been really good.”

Maybe the best memory is yet to come. For someone who always played so well in cup games, Kelly never got a winner’s medal.

With Derry City only 180 minutes away from Cup success, could this finally be his year?