Peter Kennedy (born 10 September 1973) is a Northern Irish 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 ...

who played as a defender or

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 ...

. In 1995/96, he was named as the

Ulster Footballer of the Year The Ulster Footballer of the Year is the older of two association football player of the year awards in Northern Ireland. (The other is the Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association award.) It is awarded by Castlereagh Glentoran Supporters ...

. After his first spell in Northern Ireland he had a successful spell in English football, initially joining

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...

in August 1996 where he scored once against Newcastle Town in the FA Cup, before moving onto

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...

a season later, where he led the Hornets to promotion to Division One as their highest goalscorer. He scored two goals in quick succession in the derby with

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 ...

, a hat-trick against

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 ...

, and a splendid long-range effort against

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...

in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

. The following season was arguably the highlight of his career as he helped Watford gain promotion to the

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 Fo ...

in 1999. In the Premier League, he scored Watford's first goal of the season, a penalty against Wimbledon. He left Watford at the end of the 2000/01 campaign and spent three seasons at Wigan, spending a period on loan at

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...

where he scored once 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 ...

. His final English club was

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 ...

, after which he returned to Northern Ireland. At the end of the 2007–08 season Peter did not have his contract renewed by Portadown and left the club. He began training with Ballymena United FC but decided to retire from his footballing career to focus on becoming an accountant. After a year Peter came out of retirement and made a return to football by signing for Donegal Celtic FC who play in the

IFA Championship The Northern Ireland Football League Championship (known as the Lough 41 Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second level of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national football league in Northern Ireland. Clubs in the Championshi ...

. He has three children: Annie, Olivia and Peter. He was born in Lisburn. He is the uncle of Kerry Beattie who is also a footballer.

Honours

Individual * PFA Team of the Year: 1997–98 Second Division

References

External links

*
Since 1888... The Searchable Premiership and Football League Player Database
(subscription required)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Peter 1973 births Living people Men's association football defenders Men's association football midfielders Northern Ireland men's international footballers NIFL Premiership players Ulster Footballers of the Year Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association Players of the Year Premier League players Glentoran F.C. players Glenavon F.C. players Portadown F.C. players Donegal Celtic F.C. players Notts County F.C. players Watford F.C. players Wigan Athletic F.C. players Derby County F.C. players Peterborough United F.C. players Association footballers from Lisburn Men's association footballers from Northern Ireland