R.I.P. KEN SHELLITO .  Died 31^st October 2018.

Footballer extraordinaire and a really nice guy.

Kenny was six weeks older than me and part of our little ‘gang’ from about age 17.  Although he found National ( and sometimes International ) fame as a world class footballer he was never a show off of any kind and a real unassuming character in every way. 

He became Captain of Chelsea  in 1963 when he was only 23 years old and eventually team manager. A world class footballer , Ken also played for England until a serious knee injury caused him to retire in 1968.

However famous Kenny  became in football , he was still ‘one of the lads’ and never neglected his old friends – things were so different in those days.  Where-ever he was in the world he would return to the UK to attend one of our reunions – the last in 2010. 

Footballers in those days did not earn the incredible amounts of dosh that they do now , but although Ken was still a lot better off than the rest of us he was not at all ostentatious and in most respects just led a normal life.

Ken bought an old London taxi but he couldn’t drive so I would come down to Elm park where George , Harry and Dave lived and either me or Dave Acklin would drive the taxi up to London and we would all go out on the lash.   PHEW those were the days !!  

Ken married early in life and had two children , but the marriage did not survive the stresses and strains of fame and fortune.  In later life he married a Malaysian woman where he then lived and worked as  coach for The Asian Football Association.  We met his new wife Jeany,  at our last reunion in 2010.

Photo;   George , Me , Harry , Ken & Dave.