Kilmarnock’s joy at winning the Scottish Communities League Cup final was cut short within minutes of the final whistle yesterday when the father of Liam Kelly, the Kilmarnock midfielder, suffered a fatal heart attack at Hampden Park.
Jack Kelly, 59, received emergency treatment yards from the Kilmarnock dugout after his son had helped his team to their first League Cup triumph courtesy of a 1-0 win over Celtic.
Liam Kelly, 22, was told the news as he and his team-mates celebrated on the pitch and appeared distraught before being moved away from the scene as paramedics treated his father.
The rest of the Kilmarnock players lifted the trophy oblivious to the unfolding tragedy but Kenny Shiels, the manager, was aware of the situation and looked on in serious concern.
Kelly rushed to the nearby hospital where his father was taken but he died shortly afterwards. The rest of the players were told the news of the death as they toured the Ayrshire town on an open-top bus and Strathclyde Police later confirmed Mr Kelly had died.
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Speaking before Mr Kelly’s death had been confirmed, Shiels said: “I am all over the place, I really am. I have gone from so high an emotion to so low an emotion.
“The dressing room is very despondent and I don’t know why the man above sends down these messages to us. We are thinking more about Liam than our triumphalism.”
Cammy Bell, the Kilmarnock goalkeeper, produced a string of superb saves and was named man of the match but felt his heroics meant nothing in light of the tragic development.
“We have had some sad news coming in, so that has made everything very difficult for us as a team,” the 25-year-old said.
“I’m very close to Liam so it just puts things into perspective for me. If I could take away my performance I would, if Liam’s dad was all right. I would rather take a defeat than someone’s dad dying. You think about your own dad when that situation comes around.”
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Kelly was told before Kilmarnock lifted the trophy but the rest of his team-mates had collected their medals before discovering the news.
“It was after getting the cup when I found out,” Bell said. “We were on the pitch and the kit man told me. The rest of the boys didn’t realise. I went straight to Kells and gave him a hug, but there is not much you can say to him.”