Wilfried Zaha and ex-Wolves star respond as former West Brom player retires
West Brom fans see countless players come and go at The Hawthorns each and every year.
While some players make a huge impact in a limited time, others barely register in fans’ minds years down the line.
Torbjorn Heggem became a major West Brom hit in the space of a year prior to departing this summer, for example.
But while other players do not have quite the same impact, the vast majority of them leave with the respect of the West Brom fanbase.
Martin Kelly retires from football aged 35
Martin Kelly spent a little under two years on West Brom’s books between September 2022 and May 2024.
The defender accrued just five Championship appearances for the Baggies, and seven in all competitions, in the 2022-23 season.
He was loaned to Wigan Athletic midway through that campaign and did not feature again for Albion – or indeed any other club.
Kelly ruptured his ACL and retirement was even hinted at as far back as February 2024.
Kelly has not found a club since his Hawthorns exit over a year ago, and he did indeed announce his retirement from playing on Friday.
In an emotional message on his personal Instagram page, Kelly said: “It has been an incredible journey football has taken me on.
“I’d like to start by expressing my unconditional love and gratitude to my family, my closest team Katherine and my two beautiful girls Lux and Gia, my mum dad and brother. Without them I wouldn’t have made a career in football.
“I’d like to thank the clubs I’ve been lucky enough to play for – Liverpool, Crystal Palace, West Brom, Wigan and Huddersfield Town – along with all their fans. I leave with fond memories from them all.”
In a sign of Kelly’s popularity at each of those clubs, a number of former colleagues were quick to comment on the post.
- Wilfried Zaha: “Congrats my boy. Should be proud.”
- Ex-Wolves star Matt Jarvis: “Incredible career. Top pro, top player. All the best whatever you do next.”
- Karlan Grant: “Legend! All the best in your next chapter”
Another former Albion team-mate, Okay Yokuslu, commented: “Congrats mate! All the best!”
What happened in West Brom’s 2022-23 season?
The 2022-23 season, in which Kelly made his only appearances for Albion, started with Steve Bruce overseeing things.
However, Bruce was sacked in October after a run of one win in 13 matches and in came the relatively-unknown Carlos Corberan.
Corberan, best described at the time as Marcelo Bielsa’s understudy, helped turn things around to an extent but Albion finished ninth that season and made no impact in either cup competition.
The season was arguably overshadowed by West Brom fan unrest shown towards Guochuan Lai, with protests helping to make the ownership situation at The Hawthorns national news.
It is fair to say Martin’s limited appearances that season will not exactly go down in West Brom folklore, but every supporter will wish him well in the next chapter of his career.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest West Bromwich Albion news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @westbromnews247