Bobby Kellard

Bobby Kellard
Personal information
Full name Robert Sydney William Kellard
Date of birth (1943-03-01)1 March 1943
Place of birth Edmonton, England
Date of death 10 January 2021(2021-01-10) (aged 77)
Place of death Essex, England
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Southend United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1959–1963 Southend United 106 (15)
1963–1965 Crystal Palace 77 (6)
1965–1966 Ipswich Town 13 (3)
1966–1968 Portsmouth 91 (8)
1968–1970 Bristol City 77 (6)
1970–1971 Leicester City 48 (8)
1971–1972 Crystal Palace 46 (4)
1972–1975 Portsmouth 63 (6)
1974 → Hereford United (loan) 3 (1)
1975 Cape Town City ? (?)
1975–1976 Torquay United 2 (0)
1976–1977 Chelmsford City ? (?)
? Grays Athletic ? (?)
International career
? England youth ? (?)
Managerial career
1976–1977 Chelmsford City (player manager)
1994–1995 Harlow Town (joint with Len Glover)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Robert Sydney William Kellard (1 March 1943 – 10 January 2021)[1] was an English professional footballer. He represented England at youth level.[2]

Early league career

Kellard, a much-travelled midfielder,[3] began his career as a junior with Southend United and became Southend's youngest ever league player (at the age of 16 years and 208 days)[4] in September 1959 when he started the game at Bradford City. He turned professional in May 1960 and went on to score 15 times in 106 games for the Shrimpers before earning a £9,000 move to Crystal Palace in September 1963. After 6 goals in 77 games he moved to Ipswich Town, but played only 13 times[5] before moving to Portsmouth in March 1966.[6]

Mid career

In July 1968, after 91 games for Portsmouth in which he scored eight times, he moved to Bristol City for a fee of £30,000,[7] where he scored six times in 77 games before moving to Leicester City, in August 1970, for a fee of £50,000. He helped Leicester to promotion in 1971 and helped them win the 1971 FA Charity Shield,[8] but left in September 1971 to rejoin Crystal Palace, for a fee of £50,000, having scored eight goals in 49 games for the Foxes.[9] He was signed by Palace as a replacement for Steve Kember who they had sold to Chelsea for £170,000, and he fitted in so well that by November he had been made captain. However, on 29 December 1972, Kellard moved on to Portsmouth having made 46 appearances in his second spell at Palace, scoring 4 times.[10]

Later career

In December 1972 he moved back to Portsmouth,[11] having scored four times in 46 games for Palace. At Portsmouth he gained the unwanted honour of being the first player sent off on a Sunday when he was dismissed against Orient in January 1974.[12] The following January he joined Hereford United on loan, and later in 1975 left to play in South Africa for Durban City F.C., having scored six times in 62 games for Pompey. He moved to Cape Town City, but returned to England in September 1975, joining Torquay United, but played only twice for Malcolm Musgrove's side, the first being a 7–1 defeat away to Tranmere Rovers and the last against Hartlepool United, before leaving league football to join Chelmsford City.[13]

After league career finished

In January 1976 he was appointed player-manager of Chelmsford City,[14] a position he held until May 1977. He later played for Grays Athletic.[15]

He later spent several years running a taxi business in Southend, but in 1999 was trading as an antiques dealer.[16] More recently[when?] he had a spell as joint-manager of Harlow Town along with former Leicester City player Len Glover.[17]

In July 2004, the Evening Echo reported that Kellard was living in Spain.[18]

Kellard had a stroke in February 2020. He died on 10 January 2021, aged 77.[19]

References

  1. ^ Mike Purkiss & Nigel Sands (1990). Crystal Palace: A Complete Record 1905–1989. p. 330. ISBN 0907969542.
  2. ^ Mike Purkiss & Nigel Sands (1990). Crystal Palace: A Complete Record 1905–1989. p. 78. ISBN 0907969542.
  3. ^ The PFA & Premier League Complete Players Record Hugman,B: London, Q.A.P, 1998 ISBN 1-85291-585-4
  4. ^ Southend United Football Club- the official history of the Blues Goody,D/Mason,P: Harefield, Yore, 1993 ISBN 1-874427-20-8
  5. ^ Details of short stay
  6. ^ "Portsmouth Football Club-an A to Z" Hayes,D:Seaford, S.B., 1997 ISBN 1-85770-148-8
  7. ^ Top earner on £120 pw! Archived 9 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "1971/72 Charity Shield". footballsite.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 November 2004. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Listed as CP legend". Crystal Palace F.C. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  10. ^ Mike Purkiss & Nigel Sands (1990). Crystal Palace: A Complete Record 1905–1989. p. 330. ISBN 0907969542.
  11. ^ Headline The pocket battleship returns by Reg Betts in Portsmouth Evening News dated 6 December 1974
  12. ^ Headline Stalemate again (It was already a replay) Sub-heading "Kellard off as Pompey and Orient draw blank"- Article in Portsmouth Evening News (Ibid) by Mike Neasom Monday 29 January 1974
  13. ^ "Bobby Kellard". In The Mad Crowd – a Hartlepool United Resource. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  14. ^ List of CCFC Managers Archived 10 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "Bobby Kellard (Southend, Crystal Palace, Ipswich, Portsmouth, Bristol City, Leicester)". Non-League Matters. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  16. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. ^ "Bobby Kellard: 1943–2021". LCFC. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Packed farewell for Scott". Evening Echo. 20 July 2004. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  19. ^ Portsmouth mourn the death of former midfielder Bobby Kellard 10 January 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Dave Edwards
 Harlow Town Manager (with Len Glover)
1994–1995 		Succeeded by
Dave Green