If things had gone as intended, Motherwell fans would’ve likely never seen Liam Kelly in person. After a dazzling half season in claret and amber during THAT Covid season, he looked destined to return to Queens Park Rangers and move on to better things.
But somehow, ‘Well boss Graham Alexander managed to table a three-year deal to Kelly and kept him in North Lanarkshire. Since then, the goalkeeper has become one of Motherwell’s most consistent shot stoppers over the last 30 seasons.
Mastering his craft at Murray Park
Kelly joined Rangers when he was 10 years old and spent 12 years with the Murray Park side. In fact, it’s a wonder they haven’t expressed an interest in bringing him back to Glasgow when his services have been in high demand throughout his career.
The young goalkeeper first came onto the radar of Scottish football fans in 2012. Playing for Rangers’ under-17 side, Kelly starred in their 2012 Glasgow Cup victory against bitter rivals Celtic. Two years later, he was back at it against Hearts in the Youth Cup Final. With the sides tied at 2-2, Kelly saved four penalties then converted the winning spot-kick himself.
Speaking to the SFA after the match, Kelly said: “It was the best feeling ever, I was confident in myself to take a penalty. I knew the Hearts goalie would’ve thought I was going to hit it as hard as I could but I showed a bit of composure and thankfully slotted it home.”
Not many people recall this, but Kelly was also involved with Rangers’ first team. He trained daily alongside Wes Fotheringham, Jak Alnwick and Neil Alexander and was a part of many matchday squads. In 2013, the young goalie played backup to Alexander in an end-of-season league match against Berwick Rangers at Ibrox. A couple of months later, Kelly once again occupied a spot on the bench for a clash with the borders-based side in the Challenge Cup.
A few more outings on the bench came the following season but it was the 2015/16 campaign where Kelly practically cemented himself as Rangers’ number two. Under Mark Warburton, the stopper served as sub ‘keeper in practically every match while Cammy Bell was absent.
Alongside his blossoming career in Glasgow, Kelly earned Scotland under-21 caps against Macedonia and Ukraine. Clearly, he was seen as one of Scottish football’s hottest young goalkeeping properties. At the age of 20, what did Kelly need to further aid his development? First-team football!
League Two no more for the men from Methil
On January 8 2016, Kelly signed a six-month loan deal with League Two side East Fife. Rangers had just bolstered their goalkeeping ranks with the addition of Maciej Gostomski. Thus, it was agreed that Kelly would benefit from senior football, with first-team mainstay Fotheringham saying at the time: “At Liam’s age, it’s the right thing for him to do to go out and play men’s football.”
East Fife, then managed by Scotland legend Gary Naysmith, were chasing promotion from the bottom tier. Lower league journeyman Ryan Goodfellow held the number one jersey and young Dundee United loanee Joe McGovern provided backup. But when the Northern Irishman returned to Tayside in January, Kelly was brought in to compete against Goodfellow for the gloves.
Although Kelly actually ended up dethroning Goodfellow and playing a key role as the Fifers stormed their way to the title. The future Motherwell goalkeeper played 16 matches, winning 11 of them.
Another of East Fife’s star players that season was Kyle Wilkie. A former Hamilton Accies starlet, Wilkie has huge experience across the Scottish lower leagues. He has no doubts in his mind that Kelly played a huge role in securing promotion.
“Liam arrived at East Fife while the team was struggling a little,” Wilkie said.
“Nathan Austin and myself got all the plaudits that season but we wouldn’t have won the league without Liam. When he arrived, his passion and enthusiasm for football filtered throughout the team and gave us a boost that we needed.”
Kelly kept seven clean sheets throughout that half season and played his part in a 6-0 thumping of Stirling Albion on the road and vital victories over fellow promotion chasers Clyde and Elgin City. With a league winner’s medal around his neck, the goalkeeper had done wonders for his stock in Scottish football.
And Wilkie, who has kept in touch with Kelly, knew back then that his attitude would take him far in the game. Reflecting on East Fife’s title party, Wilkie said: “We went to Magaluf to celebrate winning the league and Liam was still watching football at 2AM – I think it was the Gibraltar League!
“Liam also used to coach the young goalkeepers at my W Academy on a Wednesday night. He had great energy with the children and it was a pleasure getting to know him.”
Seven years later, Motherwell were drawn against East Fife in the League Cup. Ahead of the match, Kelly spoke to the Daily Record about his time in Methill. He said: “Those loans bring you back down to earth in terms of showing you you’re nowhere near as good as you think you are at that age.”
Liam the Livi Lion
Upon his return to Ibrox, Kelly travelled to America for a pre-season training camp with Rangers’ first team. But little did he know that Livingston had kept a keen eye on his progress during that title triumph with East Fife.
So, it came as no surprise when the West Lothian side captured Kelly on loan to provide competition to Darren Jamieson and Gary Maley. This was shaping up to be a big season for Livi as David Hopkins’ men were hellbent on securing promotion to the Championship.
And it turns out Kelly did a bit more than fight for the gloves – he wore them for 40 matches that season. Naturally, Livi secured promotion at a canter as they racked up 81 points. This season was Kelly’s first time playing in front of larger crowds, starring in victories at Airdrieonians as well as narrow defeats against Hamilton Accies and St Mirren.
“Liam’s right up there with the best goalkeepers I’ve played with.”
Sean Crighton, former teammate
What was the bedrock of Livingston’s success that season? A settled defence and goalkeeper which rarely changed! Sean Crighton was one of the men who played in front of Kelly practically every week during the League One triumph.
And Crighton, who now plays for Dumbarton and coaches Hamilton Accies’ under-18s, said: “Liam was great for our changing room at Livi. He was a real bubbly character and always up for a laugh. But when it came to playing, he was always focussed and very professional.
“Liam’s right up there with the best goalkeepers I’ve played with. He was a great communicator and very good with the ball at his feet. One of his greatest qualities was the good influence he had on his teammates with his infectious personality.”
A Rangers return
With two league titles in as many seasons, Kelly was handed a new two-year deal at Rangers in June 2017. But following a quiet season, the goalkeeper left the Ibrox bubble for good.
After a 14-year stint at Rangers, going from the under-12 side to the first-team fringes, Kelly knew the next stage of his career lay elsewhere. He didn’t step into completely unknown territory though –returning to newly-promoted top-flight Livingston on a permanent deal.
That’s not to say Kelly gave up on his dream of starring for Rangers, or a similar calibre of team. But he knew that his best chance of making an impact at a huge football club was to break free and start playing against them.
Speaking to the press at the time, Kelly said: “If I ever wanted to play for a club like Rangers in the future, then I had to leave Rangers, if that makes sense. I had to get out and prove my worth, show what I can do and find my level.
“Of course, it was a hard decision, but it was a chance I wanted to take for my career. The club allowed it to happen and I’m thankful they did.”
This was a bold move. With footballing icon Steven Gerrard taking the reins at Ibrox, it would’ve been easy for Kelly to hang around at his boyhood club. Instead, he made what has turned out to be potentially the best decision of his footballing career.
Coming alive at Livingston
At Livingston, the goalkeeper enjoyed his breakout season in Scottish football. Kelly’s first major accolade was to play a starring role in his new side’s 1-0 victory at home to Rangers. Weeks later, they held treble-chasing Celtic to a 0-0 draw at Almondvale. The Daily Record’s live blog recalled: “Celtic ran out of ideas in the end but still produced enough chances to win the three points. But when they did, they found Liam Kelly in inspired form.”
Later that season, Kelly’s Livi travelled to Celtic Park and battled their way to another goalless stalemate. Again, the Daily Record noted that “Liam Kelly has been excellent.”
And it wasn’t just the media who were taking notice of Liam Kelly’s inspired form. After 14 clean sheets throughout a season where perennial underdogs Livi finished comfortably in ninth place, the stopper was attracting transfer attention.
As the campaign drew to a close, it was reported that Hamburg and Celtic were prepared to battle it out for Kelly. But many believed that Livi’s number one was unlikely to sign for Celtic to merely sit on the sidelines. Ipswich, Wigan, and Reading were also interested.
Sean Crighton, an up-and-coming coach in the Scottish game, always knew his teammate was destined for bigger and better things.
“Yes, I thought Liam would kick on to another level with the quality he possessed,” he said.
“He was always so focussed when it came to stepping over that white line and he took his role in the team seriously. He was a great teammate and I really enjoyed playing in front of him. I always had great confidence that when he was called upon, he’d save us from conceding a goal.
“I travelled through to training and games with Liam and he was always making the boys laugh. When it came to playing though, he was focussed and very professional.”
As mentioned previously, Kelly was always regarded as a hot prospect on the international front too. This was the next thing which was about to step up a notch for the Glaswegian.
In March 2019, Kelly received a late call up to replace Jordan Archer in the Scotland A squad. This came ahead of a crucial Euro 2020 qualifying double header against San Marino and Kazakhstan. Livi boss Gary Holt had previously branded Kelly as ‘the best young goalkeeper in Scotland’ and the nation was clearly starting to realise this.
Come the next international break, Scotland had a new gaffer in Steve Clarke. Kelly was once again called up when Clarke named his squad to tackle Cyprus and Belgium. Okay, he didn’t gain any international caps (yet) – but Kelly was rapidly becoming one of the country’s top goalkeepers.
There was one downside to all this international recognition though. It all but spelled the end of Kelly’s time at Livingston. A goalkeeper of his pedigree, now armed with first-team football and international experience, was unlikely to hang around where he was.
And it turns out the talented shot stopper had a £50,000 release clause written into his two-year deal at Livi. This meant clubs could land Kelly at a snip. In June 2019, Livi’s number one asked to trigger the release clause as Queens Park Rangers’ interest intensified.
London calling for Liam
On June 14 2019, Kelly signed for Queens Park Rangers. This meant he’d link back up with Mark Warburton, who was Rangers boss when Kelly served as the Ibrox side’s number two.
It was a slow start to life in White City as Kelly played second fiddle to Joe Lumley. The former Livi man had to make do with runouts in the EFL Cup against Bristol City and Portsmouth while Lumley took post for the league matches.
But Kelly did enough in these encounters to keep himself in the fight for that number one jersey. In fact, the Scot was their hero of the round against Bristol City.
After a thrilling 3-3 draw, Kelly saved two penalties in the resulting shootout to ensure The R’s made the hat for the next round. The goalkeeper got down low to his right to save from Niclas Eliasson then followed it up by blocking the decisive spot-kick from Bailey Wright.
QPR supporters still savour that dramatic cup tie until this day. So, although there won’t be a statue of Kelly appearing outside Loftus Road any time soon, he played a key role during a momentous evening in the club’s recent history.
Then, on October 02 2019, Kelly got his big break. Under the lights at Cardiff City, the Scot made his English Championship debut in a 3-0 loss to Cardiff City. Despite the defeat, Kelly took ownership of the starting jersey for the remainder of the season.
After that game against Cardiff, the goalkeeper started in 18 English Championship matches. The former Rangers kid played a key role as the club finished 13th in England’s second tier. Kelly’s league highlight was undoubtedly his Man of the Match performance during a 1-0 win against Leeds United.
Saving a penalty from Patrick Bamford that day, The Guardian’s live match blog said: “The striker gathers his nerves, steps up … and pokes a rather pitiful penalty low to Kelly’s left. Kelly guesses right – well, left – and pushes the ball wide. Good save. Poor penalty.”
Kelly also made his FA Cup debut during the 2019/20 campaign – starring in a 5-1 third-round victory over Swansea City. But towards the end of the season, Lumley began to wrestle the gloves back off Kelly and started a few matches.
That summer, QPR signed highly rated Seny Dieng from Grasshoppers – a move which looked likely to push Kelly down the pecking order.
Unfortunately, this proved to be the case. Kelly didn’t play at all during the first half of the 2020/2021 campaign. The goalkeeper was given a fresh start after New Year, albeit in a familiar league.
Motherwell get a loan of Liam
It was Christmas 2020 and Motherwell were in crisis. Long-serving manager Stephen Robinson had walked out after a poor start to the season. And things weren’t much better in the goalkeeping department either.
Fans favourite Trevor Carson was out long-term with deep-vein thrombosis and emergency stand-in Jordan Archer had left to sign for Middlesbrough. But interim boss Keith Lasley stepped in and pulled off his best act during his brief time in charge – recruiting Liam Kelly on a six-month loan deal.
The former Livingston man hit the ground running. Kelly kept ‘Well in the game on numerous occasions during his debut 1-1 draw at St Mirren. The following week, live on TV against eventual champions Rangers, Kelly showed the league what it’d been missing. Motherwell’s new keeper saved efforts from Ryan Kent and Connor Goldson as the “home goal came under continuous assault”, according to Motherwell FC’s official match report.
After just a few weeks between the sticks, ‘Well fans had full confidence in their new goalkeeper. And he made quite the impression against former side Livingston at Fir Park. During a 3-1 victory for The Steelmen, Kelly got down fantastically to his right and kept out a great header by Matej Poplatnik. The Goalkeepers’ Union Podcast even caught on to it, nominating the Motherwell man for save of the weekend.
As we know, fans were forced to watch matches from the distance of their own homes that season. But Motherwell’s commentary team of Jock Brown and Lewis Irons regularly praised Liam Kelly’s dominant organisational skills as he marshalled a young, makeshift defence in front of him. In fact, the commentators often noted that Kelly’s booming voice could be heard above all else throughout Scotland’s empty stadia.
Big penalty saves have been a recurring theme throughout Kelly’s career. And this was no different during his loan stint at Fir Park.
In April 2021, struggling ‘Well faced Greenock Morton in the Scottish Cup. Following an important block from Reece Lyon in the first half, Kelly then denied ‘Ton captain Sean McGinty in the penalty shootout. This teed up Stephen O’Donnell to bag the winner and seal progression.
Then in the next round, ‘Well once again had to settle it from the spot. Things didn’t go to plan this time though as they were dumped out the cup at Easter Road. Although Motherwell didn’t get through that night, Kelly did save a penalty from red-hot Scotland international Kevin Nisbet.
As the season wore on, Kelly cemented himself as one of Motherwell’s key men. And aside from that, he was fast becoming one of the best ‘keepers in the league. The general consensus among ‘Well fans was – ‘What sort of goalkeepers do Queens Park Rangers have if this guy isn’t getting a game?’
Defender Jake Carroll played 77 times for Motherwell between 2019 and 2023. In that time, the Irishman played alongside some of Motherwell’s best goalkeepers since the turn of the century.
And Carroll, who’s currently a free agent, holds Kelly in high regard. He said: “Liam’s right up there with the best I played with. We were lucky with goalkeepers especially during my time at Motherwell with Mark Gillespie, Trevor Carson and then Liam just coming in and continuing that high standard.
“He was a good guy to have in the changing room. He always kept high standards and had an intensity in training and during games. Not to mention, he was always good on the music speaker when I let him on!”
At the end of the campaign, the loanee goalkeeper won the club’s Players’ Player of the Year Award. Dundee United were keeping tabs on Kelly and in truth, most ‘Well fans weren’t holding their breath waiting on him returning to North Lanarkshire after the summer.
But QPR were keen to offload Kelly and the young goalkeeper, then 25-years-old, had no desire to pick up a lucrative wage without contributing to a first team on a Saturday. It’s understood that Kelly’s international ambitions were a huge factor in his permanent return to Scotland.
Motherwell publicly stated that they couldn’t offer Kelly anything near the wages he was earning down the road. But on July 5 2021, the goalkeeper penned a three-year deal at Fir Park. ‘Well boss Graham Alexander commented: “It’s been a long process but the board have been great with their patience to get this deal done. We know how much Liam enjoyed his time with us previously.”
Moving on to ML1
Season 2021/22 was a topsy-turvy one for Motherwell. But it was a very strong one for Kelly.
In fact, the goalkeeper played every minute of ‘Well’s league and cup action that season. Scottish football veteran Scott Fox served as an able deputy while Kelly racked up 10 clean sheets across the season.
Not to mention, the team finished in the top six – a feat which hasn’t been repeated since. Okay, the style of football may not have been fantastic, but it’s got to be remembered as a positive campaign. It was also the period of time which saw Kelly really put down some roots at Fir Park.
In September 2021, the ‘Well stopper returned to the Scotland squad – where he’s been a permanent fixture since. Kelly made the 22-man roster for a World Cup qualifying triple header against Denmark, Moldova and Austria.
Back on a domestic front, Kelly had been named as vice-captain for the season. And just like the supporters had seen on TV, the goalkeeper was an animated leader who played a key role in what was one of Motherwell’s most stubborn sides of recent years.
Kelly set the tone early that season with an acrobatic penalty save from Owen Moxon against Annan Athletic in the League Cup. And just a few weeks into the campaign, Kelly was on top form as Motherwell came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw at Ibrox on ‘Trophy Day’.
Later in the season, Motherwell repeated that feat! This time, the men in claret and amber came from two goals down at Ibrox to snatch a 2-2 stalemate. Kelly, once again, made top tier saves from James Tavernier and John Lundstram in the first half.
Kelly also found himself featured in a host of Twitter reels for a heroic double save at Aberdeen. The goalkeeper was at full stretch to tip a header on to the post, then saw the rebound bounce off his shoulder before finally scooping the ball to safety while flat on his back. Carroll played alongside Kelly that day and recalled: “That save stands out to me. We were away from home and it was late on in the game when he made a double save, clawed the ball away while lying on his back, it was special.”
And there were more Kelly heroics against The Dons in the Scottish Cup. In a fourth-round clash against Aberdeen at Fir Park, ‘Well’s goalkeeper dived into action low on his left and got a strong wrist on to Cristian Ramirez’s curled shot – meaning Motherwell held on to a 2-1 victory and made the quarter-finals.
On the third last game of the season, Kelly was instrumental as Motherwell held on to a 1-0 victory at Ross County. The former Rangers youth ‘keeper pulled off “a glut of second half saves” according to BBC Scotland, in a match which was vital to the club securing European football. One stop right at the death, from former ‘Well man Jordan White, required ability well beyond that which you’d expect to see from a Scottish Premiership goalkeeper.
Unsurprisingly, Kelly once again scooped the Players’ Player of the Year and Player of the Year Award. Speaking to the club’s Youtube channel, he said: “I’ve still got two years left here and I’m looking forward to next season with European football. Let’s see how far we can go together and hopefully something special can happen.”
Sadly, The Steelmen didn’t go far at all. And Kelly found himself in the spotlight after an embarrassing Europa Conference League defeat to Sligo Rovers which saw boss Graham Alexander part ways with the club.
Kelly, who had been named as captain over the summer, faced the media the following day. But he drew criticism from fans for saying that Alexander left due to the ‘toxicity levels’ being directed towards him from the crowd in the aftermath of the defeat in Ireland.
Spoken in the heat of the moment, Kelly clearly regretted his words. As he ran towards ‘Well’s large travelling support at St Mirren for the league opener, the goalkeeper held his hands up to the fans as an apology. And it’s fair to say his performance that afternoon made up for any ill feeling toward him.
“Kells was always good with the young boys, especially as the captain of the club.”
Kian Speirs, former teammate
A threadbare, managerless Motherwell held on to a 1-0 victory for dear life. First, there was a stunning full stretch save from Jonah Ayunga’s header. And as the game wore on, Kelly came off his line to flick away Curtis Main’s headed effort, with other strikers lingering nearby.
Young midfielder Kian Speirs made his debut for Motherwell that day. The 18-year-old replaced Sean Goss in the second half and hailed Kelly’s importance in guiding the youthful side to a much-needed three points.
“That first game of the season was huge for the club, especially what we went through leading up to it with the loss of manager,” Speirs explained. “Without Kells on that day I don’t think we would’ve won 1-0 as his saves were crucial for us to stay in the lead.
“Kells was always good with the young boys, especially as the captain of the club. He was someone you could look up to as a true professional.”
In the aftermath, caretaker boss Steven Hammell said: “Those are world class saves, Liam’s right up there with one of the best goalkeepers this country has got.”
Fortunately, the national set up agreed with Hammell. Motherwell’s number one was called up to several Scotland squads throughout the season but couldn’t quite wrestle the starting jersey from legendary stopper Craig Gordon.
It’s well documented that Steven Hammell’s spell in charge ended after a horrific Scottish Cup defeat at Raith Rovers. Despite the team’s loss of form, Kelly kept seven clean sheets across Hammell’s reign and marshalled the team to important victories at Dundee United and Aberdeen.
Club legend Hammell clearly made an impact on the players, despite things not working out for him. In an emotional interview following the manager’s sacking, club captain Kelly said: “We have let him down massively. He has been fair to a lot of us who have gone though poor form. He has done everything he could for us, absolutely everything he could.”
But the second half of that season saw the team, and Kelly, return to top form. Kevin Van Veen’s sensational scoring spree may have grabbed the headlines but Motherwell’s defensive resolve was the foundation behind the upturn in the team’s fortunes. Since Stuart Kettlewell took over, Kelly kept six clean sheets and helped the side to nine crucial victories.
A highlight of the second half of the 2022/23 season was a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park. Not only did Kelly pull off some world class blocks that day, he put his years of experience to good use to run down the clock and take pressure off his defence as they came under extreme pressure in the second half. The wrath of Celtic’s fans rained down on Kelly whenever he took his time over a goal kick or made the most of a collision he’d been involved in.
Former teammate Speirs, who now plays for Caledonian Braves in the Lowland League, added: “I’m still at the start of my career and it’s early on but Liam’s been the best ‘keeper I’ve trained and played alongside.
“I think his achievements speak for themselves as well. Having multiple call ups to the senior national team and making his debut are the biggest ones I’d say. Representing his country must mean a lot to Liam.”
Capping a fine three seasons
This season is the final year on Liam Kelly’s contract. It’s fair to say that things have been a little up and down lately.
To start on a positive note, this campaign saw Kelly finally earn that overdue Scotland cap. With Euro 2024 qualification secured, Steve Clarke gave the goalkeeper 45 minutes during a friendly against France at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
By the time he was hooked for Zander Clark at half-time, Scotland were 3-0 down. Although, it should be noted that there wasn’t much the ‘Well man could’ve done for any of the goals. Overall, he was noted as having turned in a decent performance.
The Daily Record’s player ratings gave Kelly 5 out of 10, adding: “Huge night for the Motherwell keeper on debut but left helpless. No chance with Pavard’s headed double. Got hand to Mbappe penalty but too much power on it.”
Afterwards, Kelly stated that earning his first international cap was the best moment of his life. Having been in and around the Scotland squad for four years, he said: “I played for every age group with Scotland up until now and I have been in a lot of squads. Maybe now and over the next few days it will start to sink in a wee bit.”
Back on a domestic front, things haven’t been quite as rosy for Kelly, or indeed for Motherwell. The team went on a tragic 15-game run without a victory. Some key performers saw their normal standards dip ad confidence was understandably low.
Sadly, Kelly was no exception to this. Throughout the bad run, the goalkeeper looked noticeably less confident and was victim to a few goals that would’ve never found their way past him previously. One that stands out, and epitomised the team’s run of form, was against St Johnstone in December 2023. With the game level, Kelly came rushing out to gather Matt Smith’s curling free-kick, missed it, and watched it deflect off Bevis Mugabi into the net.
In what must be a league first, Kelly faced none other than his OWN BROTHER from the spot against Livingston. Sean Kelly, the older sibling, sent Liam the wrong way during a 2-0 win for the West Lothian side in October 2023.
Once that miserable run of form was over, Kelly also turned in a poor performance at Greenock Morton in the Scottish Cup. A disappointing showing overall from the men in claret and amber, the former QPR ‘keeper looked a little shaky throughout the whole match.
And the supporters were on Kelly’s back after Morton’s opener. BBC Scotland’s match report recalls the goal: “The fierce delivery from the right was palmed by Kelly on to Paton and back over the line.” In the aftermath of the cup exit, Kelly received some criticism for his performances and leadership of the young side.
In response, Stuart Kettlewell launched to Kelly’s defence. Speaking to press, the manager said: “I disagree with the criticism completely. I think he’s been a real consistent performer for this football club. Liam’s as good a professional as you’ll come across.”
This season, as of yet, hasn’t been fruitful for ‘Well. That’s a given. But it should be remembered that Kelly has been instrumental in some of this season’s rare highlights.
Let’s reflect on the 1-1 draw at Celtic Park in November. Deep in the midst of that winless run, absolutely nobody gave Motherwell a chance of a positive result that day. The entire team were rock solid, but Liam Kelly put on a masterclass which very few other goalkeepers in Scotland could emulate.
Within the first couple of minutes, Kelly was forced into acrobatic action to divert Stephen O’Donnell’s goal bound header over the bar. In the second half, Well’s goalkeeper pulled off a fantastic penalty save from Luis Palma. Those who were there that day will also remember Kelly using every ounce of his experience to kill time effectively as the team came under pressure.
In the Sunday Mail’s match report, Gordon Parks referenced Kelly as “One of the best reaction shot-stoppers in the country.”
A few weeks later, Kelly once again earned Motherwell a vital point from the spot. Former ‘Well man Mark O’Hara, now St Mirren’s captain, thumped his penalty across goal but Kelly was on hand to block in front of the large visiting support from Lanarkshire. The 26-year-old also had to be alert to turn Thierry Small’s curled shot around the post.
A reoccurring theme of Kelly’s stint in claret and amber has been strong performances against the Old Firm. What has been lacking though is a victory. But on 2 March 2024, Kelly turned in a blinder as Motherwell pulled off their first league victory at Ibrox for 27 years. You feel this could be a season defining moment for the goalkeeper.
Well worth a new deal?
Recency bias is defined as: a memory bias that favours recent events over historic ones.
Since the turn of the century, we’ve watched the likes of Michael Fraser, Aaron Chapman and Lee Hollis in nets for Motherwell. To suggest that the club should look to move on Liam Kelly is a huge statement.
Is the goalkeeper in the same category as Darren Randolph or John Ruddy? Possibly not. However, as a well-respected Scotland international, Motherwell are lucky to have a ‘goalkeeper ‘keeper like Liam Kelly. He may not have shown his best form often enough this season. But we’ve still seen plenty of that fantastic shot stopper who carried us to a top-six finish and positive results at venues like Parkhead, Ibrox and Tynecastle.
After three years at Fir Park, Kelly may choose to move on this summer. And you couldn’t blame him for wanting to try something new.
If he was open to a contract extension, the club must work hard with Kelly over the summer to completely reinstall his confidence and propel him back to top form. Sure, he’s suffered a slight dip this season. But Motherwell aren’t Celtic or Rangers – we’re a club that’s all about developing players. We’ve seen what Kelly’s capable of when he’s at his best, surely we owe it to the goalkeeper to stick by him and help him get back to top form.
Kelly’s likely to be included in Scotland’s Euro 2024 squad this summer. With that will come an increased profile and potential suitors – especially with his Fir Park deal expiring before the tournament. If Steve Clarke had any doubts about whether the goalkeeper was worth a spot on the plane, his stunning performance at Ibrox will have removed it.
Should the club tie him down for another couple of seasons, who knows where it could lead? Best case scenario, Motherwell could have a sellable asset and a potential Scotland number one on their hands.
By Lewis Birrell, Chief Writer at Story Behind the Steelmen
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