Billy Kenny (footballer, born 1973)

Billy Kenny
Personal information
Full name William Aidan Kenny
Date of birth (1973-09-19) 19 September 1973
Place of birth Liverpool, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position Midfielder
Youth career
– Everton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1994 Everton 17 (1)
1994–1995 Oldham Athletic 4 (0)
1995–1996 Barrow AFC 2 (0)
2002 Royal Seaforth
National team
1992 England U21 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

William Aidan Kenny (born 19 September 1973) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Everton and Oldham Athletic, making a total of 21 appearances in the Football League.[1][2] Kenny retired from professional football at the age of just 21.[3]

Kenny is the son of former Everton midfielder Billy Kenny Sr.

Club career

Kenny was a product of Everton's youth system and made his debut in 1992 in a 1–1 home draw with Coventry City. In total Kenny made 17 league appearances for Everton, plus another 4 appearances in cup competitions, scoring one goal.[4] He also made a single appearance for England under 21s in a Under 21 Championship qualifier against Turkey under 21s in the Altay Alsancak Stadium in March 1993.[5]

At the start of his career Kenny showed great promise and was thought to have the potential to become a key player for both Everton and England,[3] with former Everton player Peter Beardsley hailing Kenny as the "Goodison Gazza".[6]

His reputation was further enhanced when he was named man of the match in the Premier League's first ever Merseyside derby.[7] However, Kenny's fledgling career was blighted by injury at first, and later cocaine and alcohol use. These issues came to a head when Kenny gave blood and urine samples that showed the extent of his substance abuse.[8] After a spell in a drying-out clinic failed to get Kenny's Everton career back on track he was released from the club for 'gross misbehaviour' by manager Mike Walker.[9]

Kenny then joined Oldham Athletic who were being managed by former Everton striker Graeme Sharp. Kenny again struggled at Oldham, scoring an own goal in a 3–1 loss to Port Vale[10] and was sacked after making just four league appearances for the team.[8] Following this spell at Oldham Kenny retired from the professional game at the age of 21, although he did make further appearances in non-league football for Barrow AFC,[7][11] and also played amateur football for Royal Seaforth in the Liverpool County Combination League.[12]

After football

In an article in the Daily Mail published in 1998, Kenny reflected on the premature end to his professional career. He described how his problems began when faced a six-month lay-off from football due to shin splints and, no longer needing to maintain strict training and fitness routines, Kenny began drinking and using drugs. In the article Kenny spoke frankly of how his problems developed saying: "I suddenly found myself out of the game for six months with nothing to do. I couldn't train and I was bored all the time. That's when I started going out drinking with people I thought were mates but who were just using me because I was a famous Everton player."[8]

Kenny went on to explain the devastating effect drug use had on his career: "I was completely hooked on coke. I needed it just to get by. I was an addict and a complete mess. It got so bad that I wasn't even interested in whether Everton were winning or losing … Some Monday mornings, I got home at four or five o'clock, had a couple of lines of coke, slept for an hour or so, then got a cab to the training ground. I looked a real mess."[8] However, Kenny took full responsibility for the behaviour which led to the failure of his professional career saying: "I could blame a million people for it, but it was all down to me."[8] Kenny also urged young footballers to stay away from clubs and bars and instead concentrate on their football.[8]

Post-career reputation

Because Kenny never came close to fulfilling his potential, and ended his professional career at such a young age, he is often seen as a "lost talent" of English football. Rob Smyth of the Guardian placed Kenny at number one in a list of Football's Lost Talents,[13] while Football365.com named Kenny in seventh place in their list of Football's Wasted Talents.[3] In a 2009 article in the Guardian Kenny's short-lived career was described as "one of the biggest wastes of talent in modern times".[7]

References

  1. ↑ Everton – Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database
  2. ↑ Oldham Athletic – Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database
  3. 1 2 3 F365's Top Ten Wasted Talents Archived 15 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Football365.com 12 October 2010
  4. ↑ Billy Kenny – Everton FC SportingHeroes.net 14 October 2010
  5. ↑ World Cup: Gascoigne the focus of Turkey's attention Independent.co.uk 30 March 1993 retrieved on 15 October 2010
  6. ↑ Where Are They Now? Archived 12 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Sport.co.uk 5 February 2010
  7. 1 2 3 Seven Deadly Sins of Football Guardian.co.uk 21 May 2009
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hooked on Coke, I Was a Mess and Didn't See the Harm I Was Doing Daily Mail, London, England 24 September 1998 retrieved from TheFreeLibrary.com on 14 October 2010
  9. ↑ Kenny Sent Packing Independent, London, England 17 March 1994 retrieved 18 January 2011
  10. ↑ Naylor Puts Seal on Fine Display Against the Latics ThisIsStaffodshire.co.uk 25 September 2010
  11. ↑ http://www.onetouchfootball.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=next_topic;f=1;t=005693;go=newer
  12. ↑ Billy's Perfect Start: Ex-Everton Star Opens His Account Liverpool Echo, Liverpool, England 7 September 2002 retrieved from Highbeam.com 14 October 2010
  13. ↑ Football's Lost Talents Guardian.co.uk 7 March 2008
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