During a widely traveled career that gave him significant success in the Football League, Kennedy, who recently turned 38, made more than 550 senior games. Now, he has decided to hang up his boots.
Kennedy announced his retirement on X, the former Twitter platform. He wrote: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my family, agent, clubs, managers, coaches, players, and fans for allowing me to reflect on my career.” My dream would not have come true without your help. I have the nicest memories because of you. Much obliged.
Born in Norton, Kennedy began his career in the youth ranks of Middlesbrough. He made his senior professional debut for the Teessiders as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with Fulham in April 2005, and went on to make two starts and four more substitute appearances for the club.
Kennedy played for the Boro in three different UEFA Cup matches: against Dnipro, Litex Lovech, and Stuttgart.
In the latter half of the 2007–08 season, he went on loan from Boro to Darlington, where he made 15 appearances in League Two and scored three goals. In the summer of 2008, he finalized his permanent transfer to the Quakers.
He played for Darlington during the 2008–09 season, making 53 appearances across all competitions and tallying six goals.
Before moving to Hartlepool in 2019, he first played for Bradford City, Carlisle United, and Rochdale.
Although he played for Pools for two seasons, he only made 19 appearances as a senior before moving to Spennymoor Town.
Having chosen to retire from the game, he concluded his playing career with Marske United in the Northern Premier League.
