Club career: Sutton-born Kelly was spotted while playing local football in Basingstoke and was signed by Alan Ball at Portsmouth when he was 17. A slight if delightfully skilful winger, he was prematurely tagged as `the new George Best' and then fell victim to a spate of injuries which culminated in a pre-season ankle injury just after he recovered from a debilitating knee injury he had picked up during a reserve match against Luton some two years earlier. He managed 100 appearances for Portsmouth before he went on loan to Spurs but his career ended on a sour note when he refused to accede to Portsmouth's desire that he quit the game, leading to the termination of his contract.

International career: Bit of a mixed bag. He played for Ireland against Northern Ireland in January of 1987 and then lined out for the England youths the following month against Denmark. Eventually, he opted for the Republic, winning youth and U-21 caps and playing in the B team which beat England 4-1 in Cork in 1990. He was capped by Jack Charlton in April 1988 in the 2-0 win over Yugoslavia and also won caps against Poland and Tunisia. His last appearance was against Morocco in September 1990. He was only 25 when he effectively quit the game.

Where is he now? A circuitous route, via Sligo Rovers under Lawrie Sanchez and six months with the US team the Carolina Panthers, took him to Bognor Regis, with whom he lines out each weekend. He lives in Langstone Marina village and commutes to work with a computer firm in Surrey. Mark, now 29, also completed a fitness instructors' course and is involved with helping youngsters in the locality and also trains youths at Petersfield Rugby club.