Ben Kennedy (footballer, Born 1997)
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Ben James Kennedy (born 12 January 1997) is a Northern Irish professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who plays as a
midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
or
forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...
for
NIFL Premiership The NIFL Premiership, known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and colloquially as the Irish League or Irish Premiership, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northe ...
club
Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...
. Kennedy joined
Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...
on a two-year youth scholarship in the summer of 2013 and broke into the first team during the 2014–15 season. He signed for Newport County on
loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...
in January 2019 before returning to Stevenage at the end of the 2018–19 season. He was released by Stevenage in June 2020 and joined Crusaders of the NIFL Premiership two months later. He has also represented
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level.


Early life

Kennedy was born in
Lisburn Lisburn (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with ...
, Northern Ireland. He is the nephew of former
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
international Peter Kennedy.


Club career


Stevenage

Kennedy was scouted by
Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...
academy manager
Darren Sarll Darren Sarll (born 2 February 1983) is an English professional football manager and coach who is manager of club Woking. Sarll began his career in football as a midfielder in non-League football and entered management with English Football Le ...
whilst playing for Northern Ireland at youth level in the summer of 2013. Sarll spoke to Kennedy's parents and offered Kennedy the opportunity to train with the club's youth academy. He accepted the offer, played one match for the Stevenage under-18 team and subsequently signed a two-year scholarship with the club ahead of the 2013–14 season. Kennedy impressed Stevenage manager
Graham Westley Graham Neil Westley (born 4 March 1968) is an English former professional footballer and manager who was most recently manager of League Two club Stevenage. Westley's playing career, spent mostly as a striker in non-League football, was curt ...
whilst competing in the 2014–15 FA Youth Cup, particularly in the club's 2–1 extra-time defeat to Everton under-18s in the third round of the competition in December 2014. Two days after the match against Everton, he trained with the first team, and he made his first-team debut a month later, on 31 January 2015, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–0
League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
defeat against
Oxford United Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and t ...
at
Broadhall Way Broadhall Way, known as the Lamex Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is an association football stadium in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. It has been the home ground of Stevenage (formerly Stevenage Borough and Stevenage Town) since the early 1960s, an ...
. Kennedy scored his first professional goals on 14 February 2015, scoring twice in a 3–1 victory away at
Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded in 1908 as Hartle ...
. Four days after scoring his first two goals for the club, he signed his first professional contract. Kennedy scored four goals in 17 games during his first season in professional football, helping Stevenage reach the League Two play-offs, where they lost at the semi-final stage to
Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
. Kennedy had to wait until late September to make his first appearance of the 2015–16 season as a result of undergoing hip surgery in the summer of 2015. He was a regular in the first team under new Stevenage manager
Teddy Sheringham Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham, MBE (born 2 April 1966) is an English football manager and former player. He played as a forward, mostly as a second striker, in a 24-year professional career. Sheringham began his career at Millwall, where he ...
upon his return from injury. He signed an improved three-year contract with the club on 15 October 2015. Kennedy was given personal leave "for a few weeks" in December 2015, before sustaining a knee injury in training a month later that was expected to keep him out of action for the remainder of the season. However, six weeks after knee surgery, Kennedy came on as a 71st-minute substitute in a 2–0 home defeat to Exeter City. Sheringham was replaced as manager by Darren Sarll, who bought Kennedy to the club three years earlier. He made 25 appearances in a season that marked Kennedy's first full season as a professional; scoring three goals, as Stevenage lost once in their remaining nine league fixtures to secure their League Two status for a further season. Following an injury-free pre-season, Kennedy began the 2016–17 season as a regular in the starting line-up. He scored his first goal of the season in Stevenage's 1–0 victory against
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
at
Portman Road Portman Road is a football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, which has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted many England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly internatio ...
in the
EFL Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
. He scored his final goal of the season in a 2–0 away victory against
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
on 11 March 2017. The goal was voted as Stevenage's goal of the season as Kennedy "chested the ball down just inside Luton's half, dribbled to the edge of the area and unleashed a right-footed shot into the top corner of the net". In April 2017, Kennedy signed a new two-year contract with Stevenage, running until the summer of 2019. Kennedy scored nine times in 39 appearances during the season as the club finished in 10th place in League Two.


Loan to Newport County

Kennedy joined fellow League Two club Newport County on loan on 31 January 2019, for the remainder of the 2018–19 season. Stevenage chairman
Phil Wallace Phillip Owen Wallace BEM is a British businessman and chairman of EFL League One association football club Stevenage F.C. Business interests Phil Wallace is the CEO of Lamex Food Group, a global food trading company with 21 offices in 16 cou ...
stated the club had "little choice" in the loan move with Kennedy having "made it clear" that he did not want to remain at the club, feeling that "a different environment would allow him to play his best football". Kennedy made his Newport debut in the club's 3–0 away defeat at
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in ...
on 2 February 2019. He made 10 appearances during the loan spell, scoring once; his goal for the club came in a 3–1 victory at
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town L.F.C. Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
on 30 March 2019.


Return to Stevenage

Kennedy returned to Stevenage upon the expiry of his loan agreement at Newport and made 21 appearances during the 2019–20 season, which was curtailed in March 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. He was included in the club's released list in June 2020.


Crusaders

Kennedy signed for
NIFL Premiership The NIFL Premiership, known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and colloquially as the Irish League or Irish Premiership, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northe ...
club
Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...
on 24 August 2020, agreeing a three-year contract. He debuted for Crusaders in the opening match of the 2020–21 season against Dundela on 10 October 2020, scoring two penalties in a 2–0 victory. He won his first trophy with the club on 7 May 2022 as Crusaders won the 2021–22 Irish Cup with a 2–1 extra-time victory against
Ballymena United Ballymena United Football Club is a semi-professional football club from Northern Ireland. Based in Ballymena, County Antrim, the team competes in the NIFL Premiership and plays home matches at the Ballymena Showgrounds which is owned by the ...
.


International career

Having earned two caps for Northern Ireland's under-17 team in 2013, Kennedy made the step up to under-19 level following his breakthrough into the Stevenage first team in 2015. He captained the under-19 team and scored two goals in five appearances. Kennedy was called up to the under-21 team in October 2016, and played seven times at that level.


Personal life

In 2020 Kennedy was given a five-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was fined £100 after a hearing at Lisburn Magistrates Court for breaching coronavirus regulations.


Career statistics


Honours

Crusaders *
Irish Cup The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup (currently known as the Samuel Gelston's Whiskey Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) is the primary football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland. Ina ...
: 2021–22,
2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
*
NIFL Charity Shield The Northern Ireland Football League Charity Shield is the national association football super cup in Northern Ireland. It has been held on an occasional basis since its inauguration in 1992. Similar to the English FA Community Shield, it pits to ...
: 2022


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Ben 1997 births Living people Association footballers from Lisburn Men's association footballers from Northern Ireland Northern Ireland men's youth international footballers Northern Ireland men's under-21 international footballers Men's association football midfielders Men's association football forwards Stevenage F.C. players Newport County A.F.C. players Crusaders F.C. players English Football League players NIFL Premiership players