Liam Kelly

Rochdale Kelly had a trial spell with Swindon Town in August 2021, He made his debut for Rochdale on 31 August 2021, in a 4–0 EFL Trophy win over Liverpool U21. His performance was singled out for praise by the Rochdale Observer, who said he "marshalled the midfield", and Kelly also scored Rochdale's opening goal with a "blistering drive". He was given a league debut for the club on 25 September 2021 as a substitute in a 1–0 home defeat to Oldham Athletic, and was given his first league start on 9 October in a 1–0 home defeat to Crawley Town. He scored again later in October for Rochdale, in a 3–2 win over Sutton United, and also provided three assists in October, resulting in Kelly being awarded the club's Player of the Month award for October 2021. He was later also given the club's Player of the Month award for November 2021. He remained a regular starter for the club over the 2021–22 season before picking up an injury in April 2022, scoring 5 times in 30 League Two matches.

Kelly kept a regular place in the Rochdale side at the start of the 2022–23 season, playing 18 times before picking up a knock in a 1–0 FA Cup defeat to Bristol Rovers on 5 November 2022. He had scored twice in this run of matches, in consecutive matches, with the opening goal of a 2–1 win over Barrow on 15 October, before scoring a "fine finish" to equalise in 94th minute of an EFL Trophy match against Salford City and take the match to a penalty shoot-out. He returned from injury for Rochdale's final match of 2022, a 4–3 defeat away at Doncaster Rovers, before starting the following match, a 0–0 draw away at Barrow on 2 January 2023. and Rochdale were relegated from League Two to the National League at the end of the 2022–23 season, after finishing bottom on 38 points from 46 matches. Kelly had scored twice in 39 matches in all competitions. with Kelly having turned down Rochdale's offer of a new contract. He was given his debut for Crawley on 5 August 2023 in a 1–0 win over Bradford City, and scored his first goal for Crawley in a 3–2 win over Grimsby Town on 28 September 2023, which was described as a "stunner into the top corner from 25 yards". Kelly had also recorded the joint-most assists in the league by the end of September, though it was instead awarded to Louie Barry of Stockport County. Across the 2023–24 season, Kelly scored four goals in 37 league matches The club beat MK Dons 8–1 over two legs in the semi-final, which was the biggest win in EFL play-offs history; Kelly scored the opener and also provided an assist in the 3–0 first leg win at home on 7 May, and also provided an assist in the 5–1 away win in the second leg on 11 May. On 19 May 2024, Crawley won 2–0 in the 2024 League Two play-off final against Crewe Alexandra at Wembley Stadium and gained promotion to League One; Kelly provided the assist for Danilo Orsi's first-half opener, and scored the second into an open net in the 85th minute. Kelly was given the man of the match award for all three play-off matches. Mark Dunford of Sussex Express claimed that Kelly was arguably Crawley's standout player over the 2023–24 season, highlighting his performances in the play-off matches in particular. He made his debut for the club on 10 August 2024 in a 1–2 home defeat to Bradford City, but was injured shortly after and did not return to first team action until September. In late September, manager Mike Williamson was sacked following a poor start to the season, and was replaced by Crawley manager Scott Lindsey who had managed Kelly during the previous season. Kelly scored his first goal for the club on 19 October 2024, a long-range effort in a 3–1 away win over Morecambe. This was his only goal in 38 matches in all competitions across the 2024–25 season.

Following a standout second season in which he achieved a second-placed promotion with the club, Kelly was named in the EFL League Two Team of the Season for the 2025–26 campaign, alongside teammates Callum Paterson and Jack Sanders.

International career Though born in England, Kelly is also eligible to represent the Republic of Ireland in international football due to his Irish-born grandparents. and made 4 appearances in total for the under-19 team. His only goal for the under-19 team came against Sweden under-19 in October 2013, where Kelly scored from the halfway line. Kelly made his debut and only appearance for the Republic of Ireland under-21 team against United States under-20 in November 2014. However, he rejected a call-up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad in March 2018; Ireland manager Martin O'Neill suggested to the media that Kelly turned down the call-up to "keep his options open" in hope of a future England call-up, though Kelly claimed that his decision was due to "personal reasons". Kelly later claimed that he never spoke to O'Neill about playing for England, saying "I was in and out of the team at Reading at the time, so it was very far fetched to say I was looking to get an England call-up".

Style of play Kelly is a midfielder, and is capable of operating both as a defensive midfielder and an attacking midfielder. He has been described as a "playmaker", Daniel McDonnell of the Irish Independent wrote in 2017 that Kelly is "comfortable in a deep role, eager to take the ball from his defenders and dictate play",

Kelly has been noted for his relatively short height, though Kelly told The Irish Independent in 2017 that he "never let his height worry him", adding that "guys like Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Xavi are all small in stature and haven't done too bad in their careers". Kelly later said that he "took [the comparison to Iniesta] as a really nice compliment". Championship

2016–17 Championship

2017–18 Championship

2018–19 Championship

82!!7!!4!!0!!6!!2!!2!!0!!94!!9 Bath City (loan) 2015–16 League One

2020–21 League One

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2021–22 League Two

2022–23 League Two

63!!6!!4!!0!!2!!0!!5!!0!!74!!6 Crawley Town 2023–24 League Two

League Two

League Two

League One

82!!2!!3!!1!!2!!0!!1!!0!!88!!3 Peterborough United 2026–27

Individual EFL League Two Team of the Season: 2025–26 Milton Keynes Dons Players' Player of the Year: 2025–26 Milton Keynes Dons Player of the Year: 2025–26