Hugh Kelly came relatively late to association football. While working in the family drapery firm, he had been playing Gaelic Football with Lurgan-based Clan na Gael, where his ball-handling skills had impressed Glenavon’s manager, Andy Wylie.

He had not long established himself in Glenavon’s first team when he was selected to keep goal for the Irish League v the Scottish League in September 1938. In 1940, he helped Glenavon to the Irish Cup Final, beating Belfast Celtic along the way. During the following season, however, Celtic beat them 13-0, with Peter O’Connor scoring 11 – an individual British Isles record. That did not prevent the famous ex-Liverpool goalkeeper, Elisha Scott, manager of Celtic, signing Hugh, soon after, and he went on to win two further Irish Cup medals.

Following crowd disturbance at a match v Linfield on Boxing Day 1948, when Celtic players were attacked by a mob, the club disbanded and Hugh left for Fulham, where he won the first of four international caps, overcoming the humiliation of conceding nine goals on his debut v England.

He had represented County Armagh at handball in his early days and, regarded as a bit of character, Hugh liked to impress the crowd by gathering the ball one-handed.

When Ian Black followed his “second father”, Bill Dodgin, to Fulham in 1950, Hugh came to The Dell in a straight swap. It was not a great deal for Southampton. Whereas Black had seldom missed a game, Kelly was in and out of the side during 1950-51, thanks to international calls, various injuries and sickness. Yet he had seen off the challenge of mid-season signing, John Christie, when

an off-field incident abruptly ended his Saints career.

Following the last away game of the season at Leicester, the team stayed over to play a friendly at Boston, as part of the deal that had brought Bryn Elliott and Tom Lowder to Southampton. Hugh came back to the hotel with Leicester City’s Ken Chisholm and a couple of ladies. Nothing untoward happened – nobody left the ground floor – but, come bed-time, Hugh ignored trainer Jimmy Easson’s repeated requests – three times, according to the Board’s minutes – to respect the curfew and bid goodnight to his guests. Kelly remained unmoved, so Easson threw a punch, blacking the ’keeper’s eye. The Board promptly transfer-listed Kelly, who would never play for the club again. But nobody wanted him. As the next season loomed, the directors debated whether “all clubs should again be circulated” and how Kelly might be “pushed”.

There were still no takers, so Hugh sat out the season in Ireland – until Exeter City brought him out of exile for four seasons in the Third South. After which he returned to Lurgan, where he became a shop-keeper.