[citation needed] His first game in goal for Arsenal was a closed-door match against England prior to their Home International Championship campaign.
He then played a friendly in Gothenburg against a Swedish Select XI in 1961, in which he pulled off a succession of acrobatic saves, and he was known henceforth as 'Yuri', [citation needed] after the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin.
[citation needed] The competition at Arsenal for the goalkeeping position was fierce, with not only Kelsey (before his retirement in 1962) but also Northern Irish international Jack McClelland, Jim Furnell and the young Bob Wilson.
[4][citation needed] There was a suggestion of him signing for a season as a goal kicker for an American football team, but due to a strike this did not take place.
He lived in Brantingham near Brough and worked in Corporate Hospitality at the KC Stadium, the new home of Hull City, on matchdays.