When the world's eyes converged on Manchester United on Tuesday morning with David Moyes about to be sacked as boss, one of the few people allowed into their Carrington training ground was Worsbrough man Dave Kelly.
United's senior first team sports scientist told the Chronicle: "I left Barnsley and got to work at 6.30am as I always do. Carrington was under siege from the media. I noticed the manager's car was there which I thought was strange because he usually arrives after me. I went to find him but I was told he was unavailable. Then the staff were told that he had been sacked before the club announced it to the world.
"The word around the club after we lost at Everton on Sunday was that it was 95 per cent likely that he would go so it was not that much of a surprise. Most of David Moyes' coaching staff left straight after the announcement but he stayed and said goodbye to the staff, shaking everybody's hand.
"I always got on with him and he acted with dignity as he left. You could tell he was upset but that is not surprising. "I went through the same thing when I got sacked by Barnsley with Simon Davey in 2009."
That decision by Mark Robins ended life-long Reds fan Kelly's 15-year stint at Oakwell which he started as a part-time academy coach while working as a college lecturer and progressed to the first team's full-time sport scientist under Davey. After leaving Barnsley, he sent out his CV to every club in the country and was shocked to land the Old Trafford job in 2010. He describes his four seasons at United, in which they have won two Premier League titles, as 'an unbelievable experience, honour and privilege'.
The fact that he is from across the Pennines has not been missed by his colleagues. Kelly, now 42, said: "When I first met Ryan Giggs he said I had a 'proper Barnsley accent' and I get a lot of stick for it. I have to tone it down most of the time. You can't expect someone from Brazil or Japan to understand a Barnsley accent but I always say Wayne Rooney is the most difficult to understand at the club.
"Eric Steele (former goalkeeping coach) started calling me 'the Barnsley chop' a few years ago and Sir Alex latched onto to that because he likes Barnsley as his brother Martin played for them. Sir Alex still calls me that every time I see him. Paul Scholes always asks me about Barnsley and if I think they will stay up because they are usually at the wrong end of the table unfortunately."
Kelly was invited by former Reds boss David Flitcroft to run a training session at Oakwell last season and admits he would like to work at Barnsley again in the future. He said: "I love Manchester United and I will never walk out on them. But you never know what will happen in the future and if I do end up leaving United, although I hope it is not for many years, then I would love to work at Barnsley again if the time is right and the offer is right. They are my hometown club and will always have a special place in my heart."
