Jack Kelsey - Later Career

Later Career

After an entire season in the reserves, he returned to the side during the 1952-53 season, sharing goalkeeping duties with Swindin; he made 29 appearances in a side that won the First Division title. With a rugged build and consistently solid catching, Kelsey managed to fully oust Swindin from the side (Swindin making only two appearances in 1953-54) and went on to be Arsenal's first-choice goalkeeper for the next eight seasons; only a broken arm sustained in an FA Cup tie against Sheffield United in 1959 put Kelsey out of the Arsenal side for any considerable amount of time, with Jim Standen taking over in the meantime.

Although his playing career coincided for the most part with a trophyless run for Arsenal - their best finish being third in 1958-59 - and thus he did not win further honours with them, he is still regarded by the club as one of their greatest-ever goalkeepers. He was also a runner-up in the first Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final in 1958, playing for a London XI representative side against FC Barcelona.

Kelsey also became a regular first choice keeper for Wales, making his debut in 1954, winning 41 caps in total. He was Wales's keeper in the 1958 World Cup, their only finals appearance to date. They were eventually knocked out 1-0 by winners Brazil in the quarter-finals. With the help of Kelsey, Wales did not concede a goal for 70 minutes against the Brazilians, until a shot by Pelé deflected off Welsh player Stuart Williams managed to beat Kelsey. Kelsey also played for the Great Britain & Northern Ireland team against a Rest of Europe side in 1955.