Alfred John ‘Jack’ Kelsey was a goalkeeper for Arsenal and Wales, and is often regarded as one of the best keepers to play for his country.
He was first spotted in Swansea playing for his local side Winch Wen by ex Arsenal player Les Morris and after watching him over the course of several games decided to sign him.
He played with the reserve squad for 2 years before making his first-team debut against Charlton Athletic in 1951 at Highbury, in which Arsenal lost 5 – 2 to record their biggest loss at home since 1928.
He finally began to break through into the first team properly in the 1952/3 season making 29 appearances alongside George Swindin and Ted Platt, before becoming the first choice keeper for the club for another eight seasons.
In total he made 327 league appearances for Arsenal, and 41 appearances for Wales including during their 1958 World Cup Finals campaign, where he helped to keep Brazil at bay for 70 minutes before Pele scored a deflected goal. He also played for the Great Britain & Northern Ireland squad who played a Rest of Europe squad in 1955.
His career was cut short in 1962 during a match against Brazil, in which he sustained a back injury saving at the feet of Vava. He made several attempts to get over his injuries, but was forced to retire a year later. He became Arsenal’s commercial manager after retiring from playing, and carried on in the role until 1989.
