Liam Kitching

Liam Kitching

Kitching with Coventry City in 2024.
Personal information
Full name	Liam James Kitching [1]
Date of birth	(1999-09-25) 25 September 1999 (age 27) [2]
Place of birth	Harrogate, England
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) [3]
Position	Defender
Team information
Current team	Sheffield United (on loan from Coventry City)
Number	15
Youth career
0000–2018	Leeds United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2019	Leeds United	0	(0)
2018	→ Harrogate Town (loan)	9	(3)
2018–2019	→ Harrogate Town (loan)	34	(3)
2019–2021	Forest Green Rovers	44	(0)
2021–2023	Barnsley	82	(5)
2023–	Coventry City	93	(3)
2026–	→ Sheffield United (loan)	9	(0)
International career‡
2026–	Republic of Ireland	2	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:56, 30 October 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:38, 1 October 2026 (UTC)

Liam James Kitching (born 25 September 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL Championship club Sheffield United, on loan from Premier League club Coventry City, and the Republic of Ireland national team.

He started his career at Leeds United, though did not make a first-team appearance, and also had loan spells at Harrogate Town before joining Forest Green Rovers in July 2019 and Barnsley in 2021.

Early life

Kitching was born in Harrogate and attended Rossett School. ^[4] He is of Irish descent. ^[5]

Club career

Leeds United

Kitching began his career at Leeds United and signed a two-year contract with the club in July 2017. ^[6] After featuring regularly for Leeds' under-23 side during the first half of the season, Kitching joined Harrogate Town on a one-month loan in January 2018. ^{[7] [8]} His first appearance for Harrogate came as a substitute in a 4–1 victory over Stockport County before making his first start for Harrogate on 10 February 2018 in a 3–1 victory over Leamington, in which he scored the first goal of his senior career. ^{[3] [9]} On 16 February 2018, his loan was extended until the end of the season. ^[10] After making 9 league appearances for Harrogate, scoring three goals, ^[3] Harrogate were promoted to the National League after defeating Brackley Town 3–0 in the play-off final. ^[11] On 20 July 2018, Kitching signed a new contract with Leeds United before rejoining Harrogate on a six-month loan deal. ^[12] In January 2019, his loan was extended until the end of the season, after scoring three goals in 25 appearances during the first half of the season. ^[13] Across the 2018–19 season, Kitching appeared in 34 league games for Harrogate, scoring twice. ^[3]

Forest Green Rovers

Kitching signed with Forest Green Rovers in July 2019 on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee. ^{[14] [15]} He made his debut for Forest Green Rovers as a substitute in their 1–1 League Two draw away to Walsall, ^[16] before making his first start on 13 August 2020 in a penalty shoot-out victory over Charlton Athletic following a 0–0 draw in the EFL Cup, in which Kitching conceded a missed penalty in normal time. ^[17] He appeared in 29 of Forest Green Rovers' 36 league matches across the truncated 2019–20 season. ^[3]

Barnsley

On 5 January 2021, Kitching signed for Championship club Barnsley on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £600,000. ^{[18] [19] [20]} He scored his first goal for the club on 13 September 2022 in a 1–1 draw against Port Vale. ^[21]

Coventry City

On 1 September 2023, Kitching transferred to Championship side Coventry City. ^[22] On 14 February 2024, he scored his first goal for Coventry, a stoppage-time equaliser in a 2–2 draw against Plymouth Argyle. ^[23] On 1 April, he scored two own goals in a 2–1 home loss to Cardiff City. ^[24]

He moved on loan to Sheffield United in September 2026. ^[25]

International career

On 17 September 2026, Kitching was called up to the Republic of Ireland squad for the first time by manager Heimir Hallgrímsson for their four 2026–27 UEFA Nations League B fixtures over September and October. ^{[26] [27]} He made his Republic of Ireland debut in a 3–0 win over Israel in the UEFA Nations League on 27 September 2026. ^[28]

Style of play

Kitching can play as a centre-back or as a left-back. ^{[29] [15]}

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 30 October 2026 ^{[3] [30]}

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Leeds United	2017–18	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2018–19	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Harrogate Town (loan)	2017–18	National League North	9	3	0	0	—		1 [a]	0	10	3
Harrogate Town (loan)	2018–19	National League	34	3	2	0	—		3 [a]	1	39	4
Forest Green Rovers	2019–20	League Two	29	0	3	0	2	0	2 [b]	0	36	0
	2020–21	League Two	15	0	1	0	0	0	1 [b]	0	17	0
	Total		44	0	4	0	2	0	3	0	53	0
Barnsley	2020–21	Championship	1	0	0	0	0	0	1 [c]	0	2	0
	2021–22	Championship	32	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	34	0
	2022–23	League One	45	4	3	0	1	0	4 [d]	1	53	5
	2023–24	League One	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	1
	Total		82	5	5	0	1	0	5	1	93	6
Coventry City	2023–24	Championship	28	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	32	1
	2024–25	Championship	27	0	2	1	2	0	2 [c]	0	33	1
	2025–26	Championship	38	2	1	0	2	0	0	0	41	2
	2026–27	Premier League	0	0	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
	Total		93	3	7	1	5	0	2	0	107	4
Sheffield United (loan)	2026–27	Championship	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	9	0
Career total			270	14	18	1	8	0	14	2	311	17

1. Appearances in FA Trophy
2. Appearances in the EFL Trophy
3. Appearances in the EFL Championship play-offs
4. One appearance in the EFL Trophy, three appearances and one goal in the EFL League One play-offs

International

As of match played on 1 October 2026

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Republic of Ireland	2026	2	0
Total		2	0

Honours

Coventry City

• EFL Championship: 2025–26 ^[31]

References

1. "CLUB LIST OF REGISTERED PLAYERS AS AT 19th MAY 2018" (PDF). The Football League. 19 May 2018. p. 21. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
2. "Liam Kitching - Defender - First Team - Barnsley Football Club". www.barnsleyfc.co.uk.
3. Liam Kitching at Soccerway. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
4. "Liam Kitching reveals 'shock' and 'nerves' after Marcelo Bielsa casts eye over Leeds United loanee". Yorkshire Evening Post. 2 November 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
5. Gaine, Bill (10 January 2023). "A 'Granny Rule XI' We'd Love To See Playing For Ireland Some Day". Balls.ie.
6. "12 pen new deals". www.leedsunited.com. Leeds United F.C. 4 July 2017. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
7. "Town loan Leeds defender Kitching". harrogatetownafc.com. Harrogate Town A.F.C. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
8. "Defender Kitching leaves Leeds on loan for Harrogate". nonleaguedaily.com. 21 January 2018. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
9. "Leamington 1 Town 3". harrogatetownafc.com. Harrogate Town A.F.C. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
10. "Liam Kitching loan extended". www.leedsunited.com. Leeds United F.C. 16 February 2018. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
11. "Leeds United loanee Liam Kitching wins promotion with Harrogate Town". Yorkshire Evening Post. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
12. "Kitching signs new deal with Leeds United before heading back out on loan". Yorkshire Evening Post. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
13. Butcher, Will (4 January 2019). "Leeds youngster Liam Kitching agrees loan extension at Harrogate". HITC. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
14. "Liam Kitching: Leeds United defender signs for Forest Green on three-year deal". BBC Sport. 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
15. Iles, Robert (8 July 2019). "Forest Green complete signing of defender from Leeds United". Gloucestershire Echo. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
16. Loveridge, Ashley (11 August 2019). "Forest Green player ratings as Thomas shines and Winchester catches the eye in draw at Walsall". Stroud News & Journal. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
17. Vincent, Bobby (13 August 2019). "Forest Green Rovers knock Charlton Athletic out of Carabao Cup". Gloucestershire Echo. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
18. "Liam Kitching joins the Reds". www.barnsleyfc.co.uk. Barnsley F.C. 5 January 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
19. Palmer, Jon (5 January 2021). "Forest Green defender completes move to Barnsley". GloucestershireLive. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
20. "Barnsley sign Forest Green's Kitching". BBC Sport. 5 January 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
21. "Barnsley 1–1 Port Vale". BBC Sport. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
22. "Coventry sign Barnsley defender Kitching". BBC Sport. September 2023.
23. "Plymouth Argyle 2–2 Coventry City". BBC Sport. 14 February 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
24. "Coventry City 1–2 Cardiff City". BBC Sport. 1 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
25. "Liam Kitching: Sheffield United sign Coventry defender on loan". BBC Sport. 1 September 2026.
26. "Hallgrímsson names 26-man squad for the UEFA Nations League fixtures". www.fai.ie.
27. Sneyd, David (17 September 2026). "Liam Kitching earns first Republic of Ireland call-up for Nations League campaign". The 42.
28. "Israel 0-3 Republic of Ireland: Irish impress in Debrecen victory". BBC Sport. 27 September 2026.
29. "Kitching's form tempts Leeds United chief Marcelo Bielsa in for a closer look". Harrogate Advertiser. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
30. Liam Kitching at Soccerbase
31. "Championship 2025/26". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
    "Coventry City 2025/26 Appearances". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 October 2026.