Mick Kennedy
Mick Kennedy, full name Michael Francis Martin Kennedy, was an English-born Irish footballer who played as a midfielder. He was born in Salford on 9 April 1961 and died on 9 February 2019, aged 57.
Kennedy spent his career in the English Football League with Halifax Town, Huddersfield Town, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth, Bradford City, Leicester City, Luton Town, Stoke City, Chesterfield and Wigan Athletic. He also earned two senior caps for the Republic of Ireland in 1986, and played for Ireland’s under-21 team, scoring two goals.
Known for a tough, combative style, Kennedy often attracted discipline problems. He began at Halifax Town in 1978, moved to Huddersfield Town in 1980 for about £50,000, then to Middlesbrough for around £100,000. He later joined Portsmouth, where the team narrowly missed promotion in the mid-1980s, before short spells with Bradford City, Leicester City and Luton Town. He joined Stoke City in 1990, playing under Alan Ball.
Kennedy’s two Ireland caps came at the Iceland Triangular Tournament in May 1986, which Ireland won by beating Iceland and Czechoslovakia. He played well but was not selected again by manager Jack Charlton, partly after an incident involving a Czech player following a game.
He later played for Chesterfield and Wigan Athletic before retiring.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 10:23 (CET).