Kelly hangs up his gloves

Blackburn Rovers FC goalkeeper Alan Kelly has been forced to retire through injury.

Hard decision
The 35-year-old goalkeeper, who was capped 34 times by the Republic of Ireland, has decided to call time on his playing career after failing to recover from a finger injury sustained in a training-ground accident at the start of the season.

Ruptured ligaments
"I injured my finger badly in training six months ago, and it has not cleared up, so I've decided to retire," said Kelly. "I dislocated my finger but also ruptured the ligaments around it. I thought I'd only be out for a couple of months, but I can't get full movement from the finger now and it is a mess. I can't clench my fist and it doesn't look as though I will be able to do so for some time."

Long career
The Preston-born goalkeeper can look back on a long, successful career. Having started playing for his local side, Preston North End FC, Kelly played in the Premiership with both Sheffield United FC and Blackburn, and made nearly 500 professional appearances.