Kevin Andrew Maher (born 17 October 1976) is a former 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 ...
and coach who played 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 ...
. He is head coach of
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
side
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 ...
. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland internationally at youth levels U17 and U21.
Club career
Southend United
After beginning his career with
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...
,
Maher moved 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 ...
on a
free transfer on 23 January 1998. He quickly broke into the first team, making 18 appearances for the first-team that season. During the
1998–99 season, Maher scored his first career goal in a 1–1 draw with
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
.
Over the next ten years Maher was a virtual ever-present for Southend, rising to be team captain and subsequently club captain. During this time he made more than 400 appearances for the club, and captained Southend to promotion twice, from
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 ...
to
the Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...
, in successive seasons.
When, during the
2007–08 season it became clear that Maher was no longer an automatic first choice he chose to look for opportunities elsewhere. He left Southend just before he would have become entitled to a testimonial, to join fellow League One side,
Gillingham, on loan for the remainder of the season. In his two months with the Kent club, he made seven total appearances but did not score a goal.
Oldham Athletic
In the summer of 2008, Maher joined
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic be ...
after he was released by Southend,
despite the confidence from Gillingham that he would sign with their club. He immediately signed a one-year contract with the club.
On 9 August, he made his debut for Oldham in a 4–3 comeback victory versus
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...
. He later scored his first goal for Oldham on 14 March 2009 versus
Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
. In the 4th minute, he scored from a free kick to give Oldham a 1–0 lead, though the team lost the game 6–2. On 13 May, under new manager
Dave Penney
David Mark Penney (born 17 August 1964) is an English football manager and former player. Born in Wakefield, West Riding of Yorkshire, Penney entered professional football at the relatively late age of 21. He had been working as a bricklayer and ...
, Maher's contract was not renewed, resulting in his release from the club.
Gillingham
In June 2009, he joined
Gillingham on a two-year deal.
Dagenham & Redbridge
In August 2011 Maher signed for
Dagenham & Redbridge.
On 7 May 2013, he was released by the Daggers due to the expiry of his contract.
International career
Born in England, Maher was eligible to play for the
Republic of Ireland national team, and made four appearances for the
Republic of Ireland U21 national team.
Coaching career
In June 2014 Maher was appointed head coach of
Chelmsford City
Chelmsford City Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Chelmsford, Essex, England. Currently members of they play at the Melbourne Stadium.
History Chelmsford
Chelmsford Football Club was established in 1878 by members of ...
. On 14 February 2015, Maher was an unused substitute in the Clarets' 2–0 defeat to
Maidenhead United
Maidenhead United Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. They are currently members of and have played at York Road since 1871, making it the 'oldest senior football ground continuously ...
.
In October 2015 Maher returned to Southend in a coaching capacity, assisting the under 21 and youth teams at the club and at the end of November 2015, he was appointed U21 manager of the club. On 20 January 2016, Maher was named as Chelmsford City's caretaker manager after previous manager Mark Hawkes left the club, On 26 February 2016, Maher was appointed Chelmsford City manager until the end of the season, before being replaced by Rod Stringer during the summer break.
Bristol Rovers
In July 2019, Maher left his position at Southend and joined
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been ...
as a first team coach. Following the departure of manager
Graham Coughlan, followed by caretaker manager
Joe Dunne
Joseph John Dunne (born 25 May 1973) is an Irish Manager (association football), football manager and former association football, footballer who is currently assistant manager of Newport County A.F.C., Newport County.
Dunne played as a defen ...
, Maher was placed in temporary charge of Bristol Rovers, overseeing a 0–0 draw with
Peterborough United
Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
before
Ben Garner was appointed as permanent manager. In January 2020, Maher was again placed in charge of the first-team after manager Garner was granted a period of extended leave for personal reasons.
Southend United
On 20 October 2021, Maher returned to Southend United, now in the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
, in the role of head coach, replacing
Phil Brown.
Darren Currie
Darren Paul Currie (born 29 November 1974) is an English former footballer who made over 600 appearances in The Football League. He is assistant head coach of Southend United.
Club career
Currie, who is the nephew of former Sheffield United, L ...
joined him as his assistant and former Southend teammate
Mark Bentley joined as first team coach. His opening match as manager ended in disappointment as he saw his side fall to a 3–0 defeat at fifth-placed
Dagenham & Redbridge as the hosts scored three goals in six minutes. Maher got a first win in his third game for the club when his side beat bottom side
Dover Athletic
Dover Athletic Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in the town of Dover, Kent, England. The club currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club was formed in 198 ...
4–1 to move out of the relegation zone.
Career statistics
Managerial statistics
Honours
;Southend United
*
Football 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 ...
Play-off Winner:
2004–05
*
Football League One Champion:
2005–06
Individual
*
PFA Team of the Year: League One (
2005–06), League Two (
2004–05)
*
Southend United Player of the Season: 2000–01, 2006–07
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maher, Kevin
1976 births
Living people
Footballers from Ilford
Republic of Ireland association footballers
Republic of Ireland under-21 international footballers
Republic of Ireland B international footballers
Republic of Ireland youth international footballers
English footballers
Association football midfielders
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players
Southend United F.C. players
Gillingham F.C. players
Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players
Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. players
Bray Wanderers F.C. players
Whitehawk F.C. players
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
League of Ireland players
Chelmsford City F.C. managers
Chelmsford City F.C. players
English football managers
Southend United F.C. non-playing staff
Chelmsford City F.C. non-playing staff
Association football coaches
Bristol Rovers F.C. managers
Bristol Rovers F.C. non-playing staff
Southend United F.C. managers