8 minute read
Brendan Kiernan Interview
BRENDAN KIERNAN
AGE: 28 DATE OF BIRTH: 10.11.1992 BIRTHPLACE: LAMBETH SIGNED FROM: WELLING UNITED (MAY 2019) 2020/21 LEAGUE TWO APPEARANCES: 16
BRENDAN KIERNAN
GROWING UP in North London, Kiernan is a lifelong Arsenal fan and he used to live right outside the Gunner’s old Highbury ground, regularly hearing the names Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry blasted through the stadium sound system. The first match Kiernan went to watch was Arsenal v Leicester and seeing the likes of Henry work his magic, it gave Kiernan a hunger for the sport.
“I was about 10 years old and I couldn’t see much of the game as I was so small, I was poking my head through the gaps. From what I did see, Henry was just drifting past people and I thought ‘wow’ this is what it was about. It got my mind ticking. The way he played the game, him and Michael Owen, it was just that era of players that were great to watch.”
Kiernan enjoyed playing grassroots football with his mates but his ability was to a much higher standard. His first academy club was Fulham, before moving onto Arsenal for trials. Although he played well at both London clubs, the travelling wasn’t simple for Kiernan and he therefore dropped out.
The winger moved onto his local side, Bromley. Ticking over with Sunday League football. A move to Crystal Palace’s youth set up at the age of 15 was next and it came about after a school teacher had put Kiernan forward. A successful trial saw Kiernan link up with the likes of Jonny Williams and Wilfred Zaha in what Kiernan describes as a “special group of players”.
“I just enjoyed my time there,” he explains. “It was an amazing blessing to start playing for Palace as they were one of the top academies in London, it was a big deal.”
Although being happy at Palace, Kiernan wasn’t offered a scholarship when he turned 16, meaning he had to look at alternative paths for his future. He went to college to do sport studies but as Kiernan explains, it wasn’t something he could get used to.
“I was there for about two weeks. I kept hearing all the lads talking about football and talking about all these players. I said to myself I can’t do this, I need to be one of the players that are talked about.”
After leaving college and in a random and lucky moment, Kiernan was stopped by one of his former coaches in the street and after a brief conversation, the coach promised to get Kiernan a trial with a club. It was a promise kept as Kiernan was soon on his way to Queens Park Rangers for a trial.
Kiernan performed well but got a call to say Derby County wanted to have a look at him. So, Kiernan went up North for the first time and took on yet another trial. And once again, he performed well and was on the verge of signing for the Rams before weird circumstances made the deal disappear.
“Derby had sent the contract forms to my dad for me to sign,” Kiernan explains. “It was during the winter and we had time off when there weren’t any games or training. I didn’t have any accommodation for this period so went back home but when I came back up, the offer was gone. I was really disappointed.”
Kiernan admits that he went on trial with several clubs after this. Charlton, Southend, Leeds and Leicester to name a few. It was fair to say that even at such a young age, the London born man had dealt with his fair share of rejection. However, the winger is keen to point out that it’s “part and parcel” of the sport and just something he had to deal with.
In 2009, Kiernan found his next club, AFC Wimbledon. He joined the academy and became the first player to make the step up to the club’s first team since their founding in 2002. Wimbledon were competing in the National League at the time, pushing for promotion. As a young lad, Kiernan was hungry to make his presence known within the squad.
“Once I had that first session with the first team, I was like a bulldog. I knew I had to make every second on the pitch count,” Kiernan admits. “I was 18, hungry for it and I found the competitive nature of the team was so infectious with everyone hungry to win.”
Kiernan made his debut against Crawley in March 2011 and was part of the team to win promotion to the Football League via the playoffs. It was Kiernan’s first promotion in his first season of men’s football. It was, as he recalls, as a “special day”. Another memorable moment for Kiernan soon followed as he made his Football League debut as a substitute in a 2-1 win against Bradford City. However, by April 2013, Wimbledon had a new manager and Kiernan was out of contention. It was agreed that the attacker would leave the club to play elsewhere.
Now out of professional football, Kiernan got a job working as a personal trainer while playing for Bromley. In his first season, he made just short of 40 appearances and found that having a job alongside football made him a “more rounded” person. Kiernan scored on his debut for Bromley and also contributed 14 assists which helped them reach the play-offs.
In 2015, Kiernan found himself jumping around a few clubs including Ebbsfleet and Lingfield. It was a period in his life where he felt the footballing dream was beginning to die.
“I wanted to stop playing after a while, it just wasn’t what I wanted,” Kiernan admits. “I felt like the dream of playing in high divisions in front of fans was getting further away. It wasn’t until at Lingfield that I enjoyed it again and thought it was right to give it another go. From there, the right doors opened up for me.”
The rebuild for Kiernan began with promotion at Hampton and Richmond in the Ryman’s Premier League before reaching another playoff final, this time with Welling United scoring 13 goals. Performances with Welling had caught the attention of Simon Weaver and it wasn’t too long before Kiernan signed with Harrogate for the 201920 season. However, before joining, Kiernan had to do his research on his new club.
“I remember my agent at the time mentioning Harrogate and my first thoughts were the water
bottles. At the gym I worked at, they had the bottles and that’s what made me think about that,” he chuckles. “I looked into it, where it was and it looked like a nice place. My first thought was that it was too far for me but when thinking again, I knew it was exactly what I needed. It helped me get into a place of focus and to consistently work on my game.”
The now Town man started the season well, contributing to some strong team performances and earning the Man of the Match award in front of the BT Sport cameras in the win against his former club, Ebbsfleet. Kiernan describes that award as a “really nice moment” as it was a chance for his family to see him doing well in his new surroundings.
Although he didn’t get the chance to feature in the play-off success, Kiernan still classes the moment as “all sweet” as he knew he had played his part in making Town history.
The Town attacker has quickly become a real fan favourite, with Kiernan regularly taking time out to speak to fans and ask how they’re doing. He’s supported mental health campaigns and recently took time out during lockdown to speak to fans who needed a chat. Kiernan believes that now more than ever it’s important for people to listen and care for each other.
“It’s almost like a golden rule for me. What would I want players to do for me if I was a supporter? Yes, I’m a footballer but I’m a supporter as well. It’s not hard work to see how someone is getting on and we’ve had a crazy year so I think doing even just a small thing can make a difference. It sounds a bit cliché but it’s good to talk to people. You don’t know the battles some people are having and I think it should be a normal thing to want to help people.”
This season, Kiernan has had to battle his way into the starting XI and that hard work recently began to pay off as the former Palace academy man scored his first Football League goal in the away win against high flying Exeter. It was a goal that Kiernan himself admits was a “long time coming” as well as it being a gift for his family who have supported him throughout.
Highs and lows are to be expected this season but Kiernan is confident the side can have a productive season with this team being full of “fighters”. And for Kiernan, he’s closing in on 50 Town appearances for Harrogate, with his focus on continuing to better himself in the future.
“To be honest, it doesn’t feel like 50 appearances, but it’s nice to be part of a club that has done something special. The team has done so well, it’s down to them. In the future, I want to help the next Brendan Kiernan and for now, be the best possible Brendan Kiernan I can be, that’ll make me happy.”
