Football: Ex-Tonbridge Angels chairman and Chelsea favourite Shellito dies

Football: Ex-Tonbridge Angels chairman and Chelsea favourite Shellito dies
TRUE BLUE: Ken Shellito

He joined Chelsea at the age of 14 and played 123 games from 1959 to 1965, scoring two goals, and was part of Tommy Docherty’s side that won promotion from the Second Division in 1962-63.

The attacking full-back won a single cap for England, against Czechoslovakia in 1963.

He also played against a Rest of the World XI the same year to celebrate the centenary of the FA.

But he was forced to retire after suffering a serious knee injury, which ruled out his chances of making Alf Ramsey’s 1966 World Cup squad.

“Every time I see George Cohen [England’s World Cup-winning right-back], he says ‘thank you Kenny’,” Shellito once said.

“It hurts but he does appreciate it. He always says he would not have got in and that is your luck in football. But you can’t feel sorry for yourself too much.”

After running the Chelsea academy, he was appointed manager at Stamford Bridge from 1977-78 and later at Cambridge United.

He was an important figure at Longmead in the 1980s and ‘90s before becoming involved in coaching in Malaysia, setting up the Ken Shellito Football Academy in Penampang.

“Football is my life,” he said. “The game has certainly given me a great deal and it is only fair I continue to give the game back as long as I can.”

He died on October 31 following a lung infection and kidney complications. He is survived by his wife Jeany and two daughters.

TRUE BLUE: Ken Shellito

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