Kieran James Kennedy (born 23 September 1993) is an English 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 le ...

who played as a defender. He is the grandson of Paddy Kennedy. A former England under-19 international, he began his career in the academies at

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

and Leicester City before signing with

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish ...

side

Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...

in July 2015. He left the club to join

AFC Fylde AFC Fylde is a professional football club based in Wesham in the Borough of Fylde, Lancashire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Mill Farm. Originally known as Kirkham & Wesham following a merger of Kirkham Town and Wes ...

in March 2017 before moving on to

Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional association football, football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was liquidation, wound-up after a High Court of Justice, High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. Initially kno ...

four months later. He won 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 s ...

title with Macclesfield during the 2017–18 season and was bought by Shrewsbury Town in June 2018. He failed to break into the first team with Shrewsbury, however, and was allowed to sign with

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

in January 2019 before he returned to the

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...

with

Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...

in June 2019. However, he returned to

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 November 2019. Port Vale released him, and he went on to sign with York City in August 2020,

Macclesfield Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...

in June 2021 and then Stockport Town in September 2021.

Club career

Early career

Kennedy started his career at

and spent a total of 14 years at the club's Academy. He was given the

squad number In team sports, the number, often referred to as the uniform number, squad number, jersey number, shirt number, sweater number, or similar (with such naming differences varying by sport and region) is the number worn on a player's uniform, to ...

54 by

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Roberto Mancini Roberto Mancini (; born 27 November 1964) is an Italian football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the Italy national team. As a player, Mancini operated as a deep-lying forward, and was best known for his time at Samp ...

for the

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

season. He joined Leicester City on

during the 2013–14 season, mainly playing in their under-21 squad, before he was signed by manager Nigel Pearson permanently in the summer. He was released by Leicester after the "Foxes" retained their

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

place at the end of the 2014–15 season.

Motherwell

Kennedy initially joined

on a trial basis, but impressed in pre-season games against

Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...

and

SC Heerenveen Sportclub Heerenveen (; West Frisian: Sportklub It Hearrenfean) is a Dutch football club from Heerenveen. They currently play in the Eredivisie, the top level of football in the Netherlands. History Sportclub Heerenveen was founded on 20 July ...

to convince boss

Ian Baraclough Ian Robert Baraclough (; born 4 December 1970) is an English football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of the Northern Ireland national team. He previously managed the Under-21 team. As a player, he was a defender fr ...

to sign him on a two-year deal on 16 July 2015; in doing so Kennedy rejected the offer of a trial game at Southend United. Kennedy made his first-ever start in competitive football in the

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...

, in a 3–1

extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...

win at East Fife on 25 August. He made his first league start four days later, in a 1–0 victory over

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...

at Fir Park.

Stephen McManus Stephen David McManus (born 10 September 1982) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player who is a first team coach at Scottish Premiership club Celtic. McManus, who played as a centre-back, was a product of Celtic's youth acad ...

remained first-choice centre-back under new manager Mark McGhee, whilst Kennedy competed with

Louis Laing Louis Mark Laing (born 6 March 1993) is an English former footballer who played as a defender. He started his career at Sunderland and also played for Wycombe Wanderers, Nottingham Forest, Notts County, Motherwell, Inverness Caledonian Thistle ...

and Ben Hall to play alongside him. He went on to feature 25 times for the "Well" during the 2015–16 season, helping the club to a fifth-place finish in the

. However, after struggling with illness and injuries, he did not make a first-team appearance during the 2016–17 campaign. He left the club by mutual consent in March 2017 after he asked to leave the "Steelmen" to find first-team football elsewhere.

AFC Fylde

On 23 March 2017, Kennedy returned to England and joined

National League North The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...

side

. He made two substitute appearances for

Dave Challinor David Paul Challinor (born 2 October 1975) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back in the Football League for Tranmere Rovers, Stockport County and Bury. He is the manager of club Stockport C ...

's "Coasters" as Fylde secured promotion as league champions at the end of the 2016–17 season.

Macclesfield Town

On 21 July 2017, Kennedy signed a one-year

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...

with

side

after impressing during a trial game against Derby County. He scored his first competitive goal in a 2–0 win at Chester City on 28 August. He helped the "Silkmen" to keep a total of 14 clean sheets in his 35 appearances as Macclesfield won promotion to the

as champions of the National League in 2017–18. Manager

John Askey John Colin Askey (born 4 November 1964) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of club York City. He is the son of former Port Vale player Colin Askey. Able to play as a winger or as a ...

said that "it took us about six months to get him properly fit because he had been out ill for six months, but once he was fit he was a completely different player who has got a lot of ability".

Shrewsbury Town

On 10 June 2018, Kennedy followed John Askey out of Moss Rose and signed for League One side Shrewsbury Town on a one-year deal; Shrewsbury paid Macclesfield an undisclosed fee. He left the

New Meadow New Meadow, also known as Montgomery Waters Meadow for sponsorship purposes, is a stadium situated on the southern outskirts of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, between the districts of Meole Brace and Sutton Farm, and close to the A5 road (Great Britain) ...

after being released on 10 January 2019 as new "Shrews" manager

Sam Ricketts Samuel Derek Ricketts (born 11 October 1981) is a professional football coach and former player. As a player, his favoured position was at full back, where he was able to play either side as well as being able to operate at the centre of defe ...

preferred

Mat Sadler Mathew John Sadler (born 26 February 1985) is an English former professional footballer. He played as a left-footed defender capable of playing either at full-back or as a centre-back. Sadler played in the Premier League and the Football Leag ...

, Omar Beckles and

Luke Waterfall Luke Mathew Waterfall (born 30 July 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Grimsby Town. He has previously played in the English Football League for Scunthorpe United, Mansfield Town, Lincoln City and ...

ahead of him.

Wrexham

On 10 January 2019, Kennedy signed a six-month contract with

. With Manny Smith and Doug Tharme injured, leaving only

Shaun Pearson Shaun Mark Pearson (born 28 April 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL League Two side Grimsby Town. Pearson began his career at Spalding United in 2006 before moving to Stamford in 2008. A year late ...

and Jake Lawlor available at centre-back, manager

Graham Barrow Graham Barrow (born 13 June 1954) is an English former footballer who has since become a professional manager in the English game. He is currently working for Exeter City as a Tactical Insights Coach for former Wigan Athletic manager Gary Caldw ...

said that "it gives us depth and would also allow us to play with three at the back if needs be." He made 13 appearances for the "Red Dragons" in the second half of the 2018–19 season, scoring goals against

Barrow Barrow may refer to: Places England * Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria ** Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, local authority encompassing the wider area ** Barrow and Furness (UK Parliament constituency) * Barrow, Cheshire * Barrow, Gloucestershire * Barro ...

and Sutton United at the

Racecourse Ground The Racecourse Ground ( cy, Y Cae Ras) is a football stadium in Wrexham, Wales. It is the home of Wrexham A.F.C. It is the world's oldest international football stadium that still hosts international matches, having hosted Wales' first home i ...

. Wrexham qualified for the National League play-off quarter-finals, but Kennedy had a goal ruled out as Wrexham were beaten 1–0 by

Eastleigh Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census. The town lies on the River Itchen, o ...

; manager Bryan Hughes disagreed with the officials, saying "it was definitely a goal". Kennedy was offered a new deal at the end of the season, however, chose to reject it.

Port Vale

On 3 June 2019, Kennedy joined

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 ...

side

on a one-year deal. Having

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

ed Kennedy at Macclesfield and Shrewsbury, manager John Askey said that he would provide competition for established centre-backs Nathan Smith and

Leon Legge Leon Clinton Elliott Legge (born 1 July 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Harrogate Town. A defender, his strong strength, positioning and tackling skills have helped him compensate for a lack ...

. He scored an own goal on his debut for the "Valiants" on 3 September, in 2–1 victory over Shrewsbury Town in an

EFL Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...

tie at Vale Park. He also scored an own goal on his league debut on 17 September, as Vale fell to a 2–0 at league leaders Exeter City. Having failed to break into the first-team at Vale, he rejoined Wrexham on loan on 20 November. The loan deal was later extended until the end of the 2019–20 season. He was released by Port Vale at the end of the season.

York City

On 13 August 2020, Kennedy joined National League North side York City on a one-year deal; he had previously worked under manager

Steve Watson Steven Craig Watson (born 1 April 1974) is an English football manager and former professional player. He was formerly the manager of club Chester. As a player, he was a right-back or midfielder. He played in the Premier League and Football ...

at Macclesfield Town. He played seven league games before the

2020–21 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 ...

season was curtailed early due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in England The COVID-19 pandemic was first confirmed to have spread to England with two cases among Chinese nationals staying in a hotel in York on 31 January 2020. The two main public bodies responsible for health in England are NHS England and Public ...

and was not retained at the end of his contract.

Macclesfield

On 4 June 2021, Kennedy was announced as the first signing for the new Macclesfield Town

phoenix club The Phoenix Building and Cincinnati Club are two historic buildings in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The membership of these two clubs was chiefly Jewish. Located at 812 Race Street, the Phoenix Building was constructed in 1893, desi ...

. It was announced that he had signed a two-year deal with the North West Counties League Premier Division club. However, he featured just five times for Macclesfield.

Stockport Town

On 10 September 2021, Kennedy joined Stockport Town, who were a division below Macclesfield in the North West Counties League Division One South. He was sent off after the final whistle in a 3–1 defeat at

Alsager Town Alsager Town Football Club is a association football, football club, based in Alsager, Cheshire, England. The club are currently members of and play at Wood Park Stadium. Affiliated to the Cheshire County Football Association, they also operate ...

. He played a total of 14 games for Stockport Town in the 2021–22 season.

International career

Kennedy has been capped by the England under-19 team.

Style of play

Kennedy is a right-footed left-sided

centre-half In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

who can also play with his left foot and as a left-back, right-back or central defensive midfielder. Port Vale manager

described him as a "footballing centre-half" who combined athletic ability with composure on the ball. Macclesfield coach George Pilkington concurred, saying "he's quick, he's strong in the air, he's aggressive and he's got all the ingredients to go on and kick on again".

Personal life

His grandfather, Paddy Kennedy, was one of the " Busby Babes", though he only played a handful of games in a seven-year career for

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

and Blackburn Rovers.

Career statistics

Honours

Macclesfield Town *

: 2017–18

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Kieran 1993 births Living people Footballers from Manchester English people of Irish descent English men's footballers England men's youth international footballers Men's association football defenders Manchester City F.C. players Leicester City F.C. players Motherwell F.C. players AFC Fylde players Macclesfield Town F.C. players Shrewsbury Town F.C. players Wrexham A.F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players York City F.C. players Macclesfield F.C. players Stockport Town F.C. players Scottish Professional Football League players National League (English football) players English Football League players North West Counties Football League players