Making just nine appearances in five months, Kennedy’s time as a midfield hard man at Filbert Street was short-lived and ultimately unsuccessful.
Salford-born, he came up through the Halifax Town youth ranks and the West Yorkshire club received their then-recored transfer fee for the player (£50,000) when local neighbours Huddersfield Town snapped him up.
Two years with Middlesbrough followed but it was with Portsmouth that Kennedy really made a mark, both with his image and in helping Pompey to promotion to the top flight in 1987. He moved back up to Yorkshire with Bradford City for a year before David Pleat brought him to Filbert Street towards the end of the 1988-89 season, being involved in a swap deal with Jimmy Quinn.
His impact wasn’t what Pleat intended and Kennedy was moved on on the eve of the following season, making the switch Luton Town before he went on to play for Stoke City, Chesterfield and Wigan Athletic.