Mikhail Kennedy

Mikhail Caolan Patrick Kennedy (born 18 August 1996) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a forward. He also represented his country up to under-21 level.

Mikhail Kennedy
Personal information
Full name Mikhail Caolan Patrick Kennedy[1]
Date of birth (1996-08-18) 18 August 1996[2]
Place of birth Derry, Northern Ireland
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
0000–2014 Charlton Athletic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2019 Charlton Athletic 2 (0)
2014 → VCD Athletic (loan) 2 (1)
2015 → VCD Athletic (loan) 0 (0)
2017 → Derry City (loan) 9 (0)
2018–2019 → Chelmsford City (loan) 7 (1)
2019 → Concord Rangers (loan) 3 (0)
National team
2012–2013 Northern Ireland U17 4 (2)
2013–2014 Northern Ireland U19 3 (0)
2015–2016 Northern Ireland U21 7 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He played four professional matches for English Football League club Charlton Athletic, scoring once on his debut. He was loaned to several non-league and Irish teams before retiring at age 23 due to injury in 2020.[3]

Club career

Born in Derry, Kennedy was in Charlton Athletic's under-18 team, and then their under-21 side for the 2014–15 season, under the management of Jason Euell. On 10 December 2014, he signed a professional contract until the summer of 2015.[4] Later that month, he was loaned to nearby VCD Athletic of the Isthmian League, where he scored within three minutes of his debut in a 1–1 draw at Hendon on the 13th.[5] On 16 January 2015, he returned to VCD on a month-long loan.[6]

Kennedy was first included in a Charlton matchday squad on 16 August 2015, remaining an unused substitute in their 2–1 Championship win over Hull City at The Valley.[7] Nine days later, he made his debut in the second round of the League Cup, opening a 4–1 win away to Peterborough United with a third-minute goal.[8] On 19 September, Kennedy made his first appearance in The Football League, playing the first 61 minutes of a 3–0 loss at Blackburn Rovers before being replaced by Igor Vetokele.[9] In December 2015, he extended his contract by two-and-a-half years.[10]

On 15 February 2017, Kennedy was loaned to hometown team Derry City of the League of Ireland until June.[11] He did not score during his time at the Brandywell Stadium, with manager Kenny Shiels preferring to play Nathan Boyle as a lone striker.[12]

He signed a new six-month contract with Charlton at the end of the 2017–18 season.[13] On 26 December 2018, Chelmsford City announced the signing of Kennedy on a one-month loan deal.[14] He played seven games for the National League South club and scored in his last, a 3–1 win at Dulwich Hamlet on 26 January.[15]

On 28 March 2019, Kennedy joined Concord Rangers on loan for a month, again in the National League South.[16][17] He was released by Charlton in May, and in July he trialled at Institute in his hometown.[18]

In May 2020, over a year after last playing, Kennedy stated that - following medical advice - he would be retiring from professional football at the age of just 23.[3]

International career

Kennedy played for Northern Ireland's under-17 team in 2013 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification, scoring in two elite round games as they finished last in their group. On 21 March 2013, two minutes after replacing Ross Lavery, he scored as Northern Ireland came from behind to draw 2–2 with the Netherlands in Uden.[19] Two days later, he equalised in a 2–1 loss to Norway.[20]

On 5 September 2015, Kennedy scored in the seventh minute of a 2017 European Championship qualifier for Northern Ireland under-21, albeit in a 1–2 loss to Scotland.[21]

References
  1. "The Football League Limited: Club list of registered players as at 16th May 2015" (PDF). The Football League. 16 May 2015. p. 15. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  2. "Mikhail Kennedy". 11v11. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  3. "Former Derry City striker Mikhail Kennedy retires". Derry Journal. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  4. "Sky Bet Championship: Charlton hand pro deal to Academy star Mikhail Kennedy". Sky Sports. 10 December 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  5. Young, Paul (13 December 2015). "DREAM DEBUT FOR MIKHAIL KENNEDY". VCD Athletic F.C. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  6. "Mikhail Kennedy joins VCD Athletic on loan". Charlton Athletic F.C. 16 January 2015. Archived from the original on 16 January 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  7. "Charlton 2–1 Hull". BBC Sport. 16 August 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  8. "Peterborough 1–4 Charlton". BBC Sport. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  9. "Blackburn 3–0 Charlton". BBC Sport. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  10. "Mikhail Kennedy and Josh Staunton sign new Charlton deals". Eurosport. 4 December 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  11. "Derry City sign Charlton Athletic striker Mikhail Kennedy in loan deal". BBC Sport. 15 February 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  12. Ferry, Gary (24 June 2017). "Mikhail Kennedy eager to kick on with career following disappointing Derry City spell". Derry Now. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  13. "Ahmed Kashi: Charlton Athletic in contract talks with Algerian midfielder". BBC Sport. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  14. "Clarets add Charlton striker on loan". Chelmsford City F.C. 26 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  15. "Rod Stringer on Mikhail Kennedy's loan spell". Chelmsford City F.C. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  16. "News coming from Concord Rangers today is that @MikhailKennedy has joined us on a one month loan from @CAFCofficial". Concord Rangers F.C. Twitter. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  17. "Mikhail Kennedy joins Concord Rangers on month-long loan deal". Charlton Athletic F.C. Official Website. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  18. McLaughlin, Kevin (10 July 2019). "Institute in for ex-Derry City loanee". Derry Journal. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  19. "Netherlands v. Northern Ireland". Irish Football Association. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  20. "Norway v. Northern Ireland". Irish Football Association. 23 March 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  21. "Northern Ireland U21s 1–2 Scotland U21s: Ryan Fraser scores winner". STV. 5 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
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