Mark Kelly (born 27 November 1969) is a former professional footballer who played as a winger for Portsmouth. Born in England, he won four caps for the Republic of Ireland.
Kelly was born in Basingstoke. Portsmouth manager Alan Ball described the 18-year-old Kelly as "the next George Best" but despite some exciting performances a series of injuries prevented him from becoming fully established in the first team. He made his debut for Portsmouth as a substitute away to West Ham United in February 1988.[2]
He never recovered from a serious knee injury sustained in 1991 and was forced to retire a year later, after a brief trial at Tottenham Hotspur in a bid to resurrect his career. Later he played part-time for Sligo Rovers and Farnborough Town.
Although born in Basingstoke, Mark played for the Republic of Ireland through the parentage rule after being recommended to manager Jack Charlton. His first cap came on 27 April 1988, aged just 18, in a 2–0 friendly win over Yugoslavia at Lansdowne Road.[3] He won his first cap a month before he made his full debut at club level.[4]
Kelly worked as head of youth development at his former club, Portsmouth before leaving the club in October 2009.[5] He eventually returned to Pompey on 18 June 2014, being appointed Academy manager.[6]
Kelly joined BBC Radio Solent at the start of the 2011–12 season as their match summariser for live commentaries on Portsmouth matches.[4]