Matty Kennedy, a spry forward and Northern Ireland native, was born on 1 November 1994 and stands at a modest 5ft 8in. Primarily operating from the left wing, he's known to sport the number 10 jersey for Kilmarnock and currently tips the scales at 10st 3lb. His career, far from illustrious, has been one of meandering through several clubs across Britain.
Our story begins in the 2011-2012 season, where a young Kennedy, then playing for Kilmarnock, made 11 appearances. This tally would drop off to a meagre 3 appearances in the following year, however; a disappointing outcome, to say the least.
From there, he bounced between Tranmere Rovers and MK Dons during the 2013-2014 season, starting off with 8 appearances and then managing another 7 for the latter squad, even scoring a goal. It was here that he found a bit of stability.
There was subsequent movement to Hibernian and then to Cardiff City. In the 2014-2015 season, Kennedy starred in 13 games for the Hibs and then put in 14 appearances for Cardiff. An additional game for the Welsh side was thrown in the mix during the 2015-2016 season, marking a short tenure that can best be described as non-eventful.
Things took a turn for the better in the 2015-2016 season, with Kennedy notching up 12 appearances for Port Vale. This led to his brief return to Cardiff, with two appearances made in the 2016-2017 season. Following this, he made his mark with Plymouth Argyle, netting 5 goals in 17 appearances. But naturally, his dance card wasn't quite filled.
A pair of seasons rolled past, with Kennedy briefly returning to Cardiff, followed by a 21-game stint with Portsmouth in 2017-2018, where he netted three times. His most fruitful season came in 2018-2019, playing for St Johnstone (36 appearances, 6 goals), followed by another half season (18 appearances, 3 goals).
Moving swiftly on, his next port of call was Aberdeen, where he spent 3 seasons making 68 appearances and scoring three goals. Lastly, he stepped up his game at Kilmarnock in the 2023-2024 season, putting in 35 appearances and scoring three times. The current season sees him yet to take the field.
Between these numerous domestic club commitments, Kennedy has also represented the Northern Ireland national team, and participated in the Scottish Cup, Euro Qualifiers, and Europa League Qualifications.
A tale of a journeyman footballer, Matty Kennedy continually plies his trade from one club to another, an emblem of the modern footballing mercenary's career. He has seen many a pitch, worn many a jersey, and filled many a stat sheet. Such is the life of a footballer in the world of the beautiful game.
