Kieran O'Hara

Kieran O'Hara

Kieran O'Hara training ahead of the match against FC Liefering on 11 July 2017.
Personal information
Full name	Kieran Michael O'Hara [1]
Date of birth	(1996-04-22) 22 April 1996 (age 28) [2]
Place of birth	Manchester, England
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) [3]
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Kilmarnock
Number	20
Youth career
0000–2012	Urmston Town
2012–2014	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2020	Manchester United	0	(0)
2013–2014	→ Trafford (loan)	30	(0)
2015	→ AFC Fylde (loan)	0	(0)
2015	→ Morecambe (loan)	0	(0)
2015	→ Stockport County (loan)	1	(0)
2016	→ Morecambe (loan)	5	(0)
2018–2019	→ Macclesfield Town (loan)	42	(0)
2019–2020	→ Burton Albion (loan)	41	(0)
2020–2022	Burton Albion	19	(0)
2021	→ Scunthorpe United (loan)	3	(0)
2022	Fleetwood Town	4	(0)
2022–2023	Colchester United	27	(0)
2023–	Kilmarnock	7	(0)
International career‡
2017–2018	Republic of Ireland U21	9	(0)
2019	Republic of Ireland	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11:58, 29 August 2024 (UTC)

Kieran Michael O'Hara (born 22 April 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock. Born in England, he plays for the Republic of Ireland national team at international level.

Club career

Urmston Town

Born in Manchester, O'Hara began his career with local club Urmston Town, ^[4] while attending Ashton-on-Mersey School and Sixth Form. ^[5]

Manchester United

He then joined Manchester United on 1 July 2012, having represented the club at the Future Cup earlier in the year. Reaching the final before losing to Ajax on penalties, the goalkeeper signed on to become an Under-17 Academy student, working with Under-18 coach Paul McGuinness. ^[6]

Loan moves

His chances were limited in his first season with the youth team, and he was soon given a work-experience loan with Trafford throughout the 2013–14 season. ^[4] Upon his return, and having faced his first taste of senior football, O'Hara was promoted to the Under-21 squad. ^[6]

Despite his continued difficulty in breaking into the starting XI, with Joel Castro Pereira the preferred goalkeeper, O'Hara signed a professional deal with the Reds in the summer of 2014. ^[7]

Making a single appearance for the Under-21s, he soon faced further loan spells in a bid to impress the coaching staff at Old Trafford. After a one-month loan with Conference North title-contenders AFC Fylde, ^[8] O'Hara was given his first opportunity for United in the final game of the Under-21 Premier League season. Following 15 games as an unused substitute, he completed 90 minutes in a 3–1 defeat to Manchester City, with his side already crowned league champions. ^[9]

O'Hara opted for senior football once more during the 2015–16 season, and completed a deadline day move to League Two club Morecambe on a one-month loan in the summer. ^[10] He later faced a one-month loan spell with National League North club Stockport County in November, ^[9] before returning to Morecambe for the remainder of the season on 12 January. ^[11]

Having failed to make a competitive appearance in his first spell with the Shrimps, O'Hara made his professional debut in a 3–1 defeat to league leaders Northampton Town on 23 January 2016. ^[12]

On 15 August 2018, O'Hara joined League Two side Macclesfield Town on loan for the 2018–19 season. ^[13] O'Hara was Macclesfield's first-choice goalkeeper for the 2018–19 season, making 37 appearances in the league, as well as a further five in cup competitions, including Macclesfield's 8–0 loss to West Ham United in the third round of the EFL Cup. ^[14] A draw with Cambridge United saw Macclesfield remain in the Football League, helped greatly by O'Hara's performances in goal; his form over the course of the season saw him named as Macclesfield's Player of the Year, Players' Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year. ^[15]

For the 2019–20 season, O'Hara joined League One side Burton Albion on loan. ^[16] Upon his return to Manchester United, he was released by the club on 30 June 2020. ^[17]

Burton Albion

On 11 September 2020, O'Hara signed with Burton Albion for a two-year deal. ^[18]

On 20 November 2021, O'Hara joined League Two side Scunthorpe United on an emergency seven-day loan deal following an injury to first-team goalkeeper Rory Watson. ^[19] On 26 November 2021, the loan was extended by a further seven days. ^[20]

Fleetwood Town

On 1 February 2022, O'Hara joined fellow League One side Fleetwood Town after leaving Burton Albion by mutual consent. ^[21] O'Hara was released by the club at the end of the season. ^[22]

Colchester United

After leaving Fleetwood Town, O'Hara signed a one-year deal with League Two side Colchester United. ^[23]

Kilmarnock

After one season at Colchester United, O'Hara moved to Scotland by joining Kilmarnock, signing a one-year deal. ^[24] O'Hara was the club's second choice goalkeeper behind Will Dennis until Dennis suffered an injury in the 44th minutes against Hibernian on 16 September 2023, prompting O'Hara to make his Kilmarnock debut, in a 2-2 draw. ^[25]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 10 December 2022 ^[26]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Manchester United	2014–15	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2016–17	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2017–18	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2018–19	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Morecambe (loan)	2015–16	League Two	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Stockport County (loan)	2015–16	National League North	1	0	0	0	—		—		1	0
Morecambe (loan)	2015–16	League Two	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Macclesfield Town (loan)	2018–19	League Two	37	0	1	0	2	0	2 [a]	0	42	0
Burton Albion (loan)	2019–20	League One	33	0	4	0	4	0	1 [a]	0	42	0
Burton Albion	2020–21	League One	17	0	1	0	0	0	1 [a]	0	19	0
	2021–22	League One	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		17	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	19	0
Scunthorpe United (loan)	2021–22	League Two	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Fleetwood Town	2021–22	League One	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Colchester United	2022–23	League Two	8	0	1	0	1	0	2	0	12	0
Career total			108	0	7	0	7	0	6	0	128	0

1. Games in the EFL Trophy

International

As of match played 12 November 2020^{[ citation needed ]}

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Republic of Ireland	2019	2	0
Total		2	0

International career

O'Hara qualifies to play for the Republic of Ireland through his paternal grandparents, ^[27] who are from Galway. ^[28]

He was called up by the Irish senior national team in March 2019. ^[29] He made his senior international debut on 10 September 2019, coming on for another debutant Mark Travers in a 3–1 win over Bulgaria at the Aviva Stadium. ^[30] He made his full debut against New Zealand starting in a friendly on 14 November 2019. ^[31]

References

1. "Updated squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
2. "Kieran O'Hara".
3. "Kieran O'Hara Profile, News & Stats". Premier League. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
4. "Welcome return for star stopper – The Evo-Stik League Northern Premier". www.evostikleague.co.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
5. Marshall, Adam (29 July 2014). "Keeper focus: Kieran O'Hara". Manchester United. Archived from the original on 4 August 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
6. "Kieran O'Hara". ManUtd.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
7. "Manchester United loan report: Goalkeepers Kieran O'Hara and Dean Henderson both sent elsewhere". International Business Times UK. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
8. Whitney, Steve (31 January 2015). "Coasters Borrow Manchester United Keeper". Pitchero Non-League. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
9. Luckhurst, Samuel (26 November 2015). "Manchester United goalkeeper leaves on loan". Manchester Evening News. MEN Media. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
10. "Manchester United goalkeeper Kieran O'Hara joins Morecambe on loan". Sky Sports. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
11. "Loan moves agreed for young Manchester United goalkeepers". ManUtd.com. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
12. "Northampton Town 3-1 Morecambe". BBC. 23 January 2016. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
13. "Silkmen Sign Manchester United Stopper". Macclesfield Town FC. 15 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
14. "West Ham 8-0 Macclesfield: Hammers thrash Macclesfield to reach fourth round". BBC Sport. 26 September 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
15. Marshall, Adam (7 May 2019). "O'Hara ends the season on a real high". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
16. Marshall, Adam (8 July 2019). "O'Hara joins Burton Albion on loan". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
17. "United issue update on Academy squads". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 25 June 2020. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
18. "Brewers re-sign Kieran O'Hara on two-year deal". burtonalbionfc.co.uk. 11 September 2020. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
19. "Kieran O'Hara arrives on emergency loan". Scunthorpe United FC. 20 November 2021. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
20. "Kieran O'Hara's loan extended by a further seven days". Scunthorpe United FC. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
21. "Kieran O'Hara signs for Town from Burton Albion". www.fleetwoodtownfc.com. 1 February 2022. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022.
    "KIERAN O'HARA JOINS FLEETWOOD TOWN". www.burtonalbionfc.co.uk. 1 February 2022. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022.
22. "Retained list: First team". www.fleetwoodtownfc.com. 5 May 2022. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
23. Waldron, Jonathon (3 August 2022). "Colchester United sign ex-Manchester United keeper Kieran O'Hara". Daily Gazette Standard. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
24. "Kieran is a keeper!". Kilmarnock FC. 11 July 2023. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
25. "Kilmarnock 2–2 Hibernian: Wright header denies Nick Montgomery debut win". BBC Sport. 16 September 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
26. "K. O'HARA". Soccerway. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
27. "Highly rated Man United goalkeeper gets Ireland U21 call-up after declaring for the Boys in Green". independent.ie. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
28. "Kieran O'Hara". fai.ie. Football Association of Ireland. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
29. "Euro 2020 qualifiers: Republic of Ireland boss McCarthy hands three players first call-ups". BBC Sport. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
30. "Fresh faces make the difference as Ireland eventually see off Bulgaria". The 42. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
31. "Republic of Ireland 3-1 New Zealand". BBC Sport. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2024.