Rob Kiernan

Rob Kiernan

Personal information
Full name	Robert Samuel Kiernan [1]
Date of birth	(1991-01-13) 13 January 1991 (age 33) [1]
Place of birth	Rickmansworth, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) [1]
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
2000–2008	Watford
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2008–2011	Watford	2	(0)
2010	→ Kilmarnock (loan)	4	(0)
2010	→ Yeovil Town (loan)	3	(0)
2010–2011	→ Bradford City (loan)	8	(0)
2011	→ Wycombe Wanderers (loan)	2	(0)
2011–2015	Wigan Athletic	29	(1)
2012	→ Accrington Stanley (loan)	3	(0)
2012	→ Burton Albion (loan)	6	(0)
2012–2013	→ Brentford (loan)	8	(0)
2013	→ Southend United (loan)	12	(0)
2015	→ Birmingham City (loan)	12	(1)
2015–2017	Rangers	57	(1)
2017–2020	Southend United	30	(2)
2020–2022	Orange County SC	44	(2)
International career
2008	Republic of Ireland U18	3	(1)
2009–2010	Republic of Ireland U19	6	(0)
2010–2013	Republic of Ireland U21	14	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Robert Samuel Kiernan (born 13 January 1991) is a former professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland at youth level.

Kiernan has previously played for Watford, Wigan Athletic and Rangers, and has also spent time on loan at Kilmarnock, Yeovil Town, Bradford City, Wycombe Wanderers, ^[2] Accrington Stanley, Burton Albion, Brentford, Southend United and Birmingham City. He ended his career with American club Orange County SC. Kiernan, who was born in Hertfordshire, played for the Republic of Ireland at youth levels up to and including under-21.

Club career

Watford

Kiernan was born in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, ^[3] and began his football career as a youngster with Watford. Watford sent two youth squads to the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland in the summer of 2008. Kiernan was moved from his natural position of central midfielder to play centre-half, to take advantage of his height and physical presence, ^[4] and also captained the side. ^[5] His performances drew praise from his then coach Mark Warburton. ^[6]

Later that summer, Kiernan was called up by the Ireland under-19 team for a four-nation tournament, but he had to withdraw after tearing his right thigh muscle. ^[4]

Kiernan captained Watford's under-18 side in 2008–09, ^[4] in which they reached the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup. ^[7] In October 2008, he, together with fellow second-year scholars Billy Gibson and Ross Jenkins, signed "developmental contracts" – professional contracts signed earlier than usual, allowing the players to continue their scholarships without the pressure of worrying about the future –to run until the end of the 2009–10 season. ^[8]

When Brendan Rodgers was appointed Watford manager in November 2008, Kiernan began to take part in some first-team training sessions. ^[9] He was included in the senior matchday squad for the first time on 24 January 2009 for an FA Cup fourth-round tie against Crystal Palace at Vicarage Road, and made his debut as a 90th-minute substitute, replacing Gavin Hoyte, as Watford won 4–3. ^[10] Although he made no more first-team appearances that season, he finish with 17 starts for the Academy side and 9 for the reserves. ^{[11] [12]}

Loans

After a trial in January 2010, Kiernan joined Scottish Premier League side Kilmarnock on loan; manager Jimmy Calderwood wanted him as cover with two defensive players injured. ^[13] He joined Kilmarnock on the same day as Watford teammate Scott Severin, and was given the number 29 shirt. ^[14] Kiernan made his debut the next day as a 73rd-minute substitute in a 1–0 league win against Celtic. ^[15] Kiernan played three matches for Yeovil Town at the start of the 2010–11 season, ^[16] and on 12 November joined Bradford City on a two-month loan. ^[17] Conference side Histon had previously attempted to sign Kiernan on loan. ^[18]

Wigan Athletic

At the end of the 2010–11 season, Kiernan rejected Watford's offer of a new two-year contract; the "slightly reduced" terms offered entitled him to leave the club without compensation becoming payable by his next employer. ^[19] He signed for Premier League club Wigan Athletic, ^[20] In March 2012, having failed to feature in Wigan's first team, Kiernan joined League Two Accrington Stanley on loan for the remainder of the season, ^[21] but ankle ligament damage cut the loan spell to just three matches. ^[22] He returned to match fitness with the help of a month's loan at Burton Albion, also of League Two, in the early part of the following season, ^[23] and in November moved on to League One Brentford on loan until January 2013. ^[24] He then renewed his loan deal on 11 January 2013. On 12 October 2013, Kiernan joined League Two side Southend United on a three-month loan deal, ^[25] however, he was recalled on 29 December, as cover after Thomas Rogne was injured on Boxing Day. ^[26] Kiernan made a strong end to the 2013–14 season, scoring his first goal for the club against Leicester City ^[27] and featuring in the play-off semi-final defeat by Queens Park Rangers, and signed a three-year contract extension in May 2014. ^[28]

However, after struggling to feature the following season, Kiernan joined then Championship club Birmingham City in February 2015 on loan until the end of the 2014–15 season. ^[29] He made his debut on 21 February at Brighton & Hove Albion, starting the match in central midfield in place of the injured David Davis, and played 78 minutes of the 4–3 defeat. ^[30] He went on to form a partnership at centre-half with Jonathan Spector, ^[31] and then played alongside Michael Morrison after the latter's return from injury. Kiernan was credited with his first goal for the club on 11 April against Wolverhampton Wanderers; he scored from close range after Jonathan Grounds' shot had already crossed the line unnoticed by the officials and been pushed back into play. ^[32] A hamstring injury meant he missed the last two matches of the season. ^[33]

Rangers

On 22 June 2015, Kiernan signed a two-year deal at Rangers ^[34] with the transfer fee reported to be £200,000. ^[35] Over the course of the subsequent season, he played in central defence alongside Danny Wilson. ^{[36] [37]} The pair, however, received criticism for some of their performances, ^{[36] [37]} notably in the team's 3–2 loss to Hibernian in the 2016 Scottish Cup Final. ^[38] On 19 July 2016, Kiernan extended his contract with Rangers for another year, until 2018. ^[39] Kiernan scored his first goal for Rangers and only his third goal of his professional career on 10 December 2016, heading a James Tavernier free-kick to net the first of two goals as Rangers won 2–0. ^[40] On 27 December 2016, he was linked with a £2m move to Fulham ^[41] and the following day, during Rangers' 1–1 draw with St Johnstone, Kiernan appeared to strike Saints captain Steven Anderson. ^[42] For this, Kiernan was offered a two-match suspension for violent conduct by the Scottish Football Association, however he chose to contest the charge and it was ultimately dismissed by disciplinary tribunal on 12 January. ^[43]

Return to Southend United

Kiernan returned to English football in 2017, signing a three-year contract with League One club Southend United on 3 August for an undisclosed fee. ^[44] Kiernan was released by Southend on 31 January 2020. ^[45]

Orange County SC

On 7 February 2020, Kiernan joined USA club Orange County SC. He made 47 appearances and scored two goals before retiring from football in April 2023, ^[46] due to a hip injury. ^[47]

International career

Kiernan has captained the Republic of Ireland national football team at age-group levels. ^{[48] [49]} He qualified to play for Ireland as his father was born in County Wexford. ^[50]

Career statistics

As of match played 29 November 2021

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup [a]		League Cup [b]		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Watford	2008–09 [51]	Championship	0	0	1	0	0	0	—		1	0
	2009–10 [52]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2010–11 [16]	Championship	0	0	1	0	0	0	—		1	0
	Total		0	0	2	0	0	0	—		2	0
Kilmarnock (loan)	2009–10 [52]	Scottish Premier League	4	0	1	0	—		—		5	0
Yeovil Town (loan)	2010–11 [16]	League One	3	0	—		0	0	—		3	0
Bradford City (loan)	2010–11 [16]	League Two	8	0	—		—		—		8	0
Wycombe Wanderers (loan)	2010–11 [16]	League Two	2	0	—		—		—		2	0
Wigan Athletic	2011–12 [53]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2012–13 [54]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2013–14 [55]	Championship	12	1	—		0	0	2 [c]	0	14	1
	2014–15 [56]	Championship	17	0	1	0	0	0	—		18	0
	Total		29	1	1	0	0	0	2	0	32	1
Accrington Stanley (loan)	2011–12 [53]	League Two	3	0	—		—		—		3	0
Burton Albion (loan)	2012–13 [54]	League Two	6	0	—		—		—		6	0
Brentford (loan)	2012–13 [54]	League One	8	0	0	0	—		1 [d]	0	9	0
Southend United (loan)	2013–14 [55]	League Two	12	0	2	0	—		—		14	0
Birmingham City (loan)	2014–15 [56]	Championship	12	1	—		—		—		12	1
Rangers	2015–16 [57]	Scottish Championship	33	0	5	0	3	0	4 [e]	0	45	0
	2016–17 [58]	Scottish Premiership	24	1	2	0	5	0	—		31	1
	Total		57	1	7	0	8	0	4	0	76	1
Southend United	2017–18 [59]	League One	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
	2018–19 [60]	League One	10	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	1
	2019–20 [61]	League One	19	1	1	0	0	0	3 [f]	0	23	1
	Total		30	2	1	0	1	0	3	0	35	2
Orange County SC	2020 [46]	USL Championship	15	0	0	0	—		—		15	0
	2021 [46]	USL Championship	28	2	0	0	—		3 [g]	0	31	2
	2022 [46]	USL Championship	1	0	0	0	—		—		1	0
	Total		44	2	0	0	—		3	0	47	2
Career total			218	7	14	0	9	0	13	0	254	7

1. Includes FA Cup, Scottish Cup
2. Includes EFL Cup, Scottish League Cup
3. Appearances in Championship play-offs
4. Appearance in Football League Trophy
5. Appearances in Scottish Challenge Cup
6. Appearances in EFL Trophy
7. Appearances in USL Championship Playoffs

Honours

Rangers

• Scottish Championship: 2015–16 ^[62]
• Scottish Challenge Cup: 2015–16 ^[63]

Orange County SC

• USL Championship: 2021

References

1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2009). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN   978-1-84596-474-0.
2. "Watford's Kiernan joins Wycombe, Townsend leaves". BBC Sport. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
3. Rollin, Glenda & Rollin, Jack, eds. (2010). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2010–2011. London: Headline. p. 540. ISBN   978-0-7553-6107-6.
4. "Burden lifted from Kiernan's shoulders". Watfordfc.com. Watford Football Club. 24 October 2008. Archived from the original on 8 January 2009.
5. "Milk Cup 2008 day two". Watfordfc.com. Watford Football Club. 30 July 2008. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011.
6. "Milk Cup 2008 day five". Watfordfc.com. Watford Football Club. 3 August 2008. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012.
7. "Birmingham Yth 1 Watford Yth 0". Watfordfc.com. Watford Football Club. 18 March 2009. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012.
8. "Trio commit their futures". Watfordfc.com. Watford Football Club. 4 October 2008. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012.
9. "Youth Cup preview". Watfordfc.com. Watford Football Club. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012.
10. "Watford vs Crystal Palace". Watfordfc.com. Watford Football Club. 24 January 2009. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012.
11. "Academy stat pack 2008/09". Watfordfc.com. Watford Football Club. 10 July 2009. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012.
12. "Reserve season 2008/09 – the full stat pack". Watfordfc.com. Watford Football Club. 30 October 2009. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012.
13. "Killie poised to land Kiernan". Sky Sports. 29 January 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
14. "Killie sign Scott Severin, Chris Maguire, Rob Kiernan". BBC Sport. BBC. 1 February 2010.
15. Conaghan, Martin (2 February 2010). "Kilmarnock 1–0 Celtic". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
16. "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
17. "Bradford City sign Kiernan & Eckersley on loan". BBC Sport. BBC. 12 November 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
18. Beyeler, Marc (15 November 2010). "We lacked quality in key areas – Livermore". Cambridge News. Cambridge: Local World. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012.
19. "Rob Kiernan leaves Watford after rejecting deal". BBC Sport. 28 June 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
20. Smith, Frank (28 July 2011). "Premier League Wigan Athletic set to sign released Watford defender Rob Kiernan". Watford Observer. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
    "White chooses green in accepting King's invitation". The Irish Times. 4 August 2011. Archived from the original on 8 August 2011.
21. "Accrington Stanley sign Wigan defender Rob Kiernan". BBC Sport. BBC. 16 March 2012.
22. Flanagan, Chris (30 March 2012). "Accrington Stanley defender out for season". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
23. "Brewers swoop for loan pair". Sky Sports. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
24. "Bees sign Premier League defender". Brentford F.C. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
25. "Southend United sign Wigan Athletic defender Rob Kiernan". BBC. BBC Sport. 12 October 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
26. "Wigan Athletic recall Rob Kiernan from Southend loan spell". BBC. BBC Sport. 29 December 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
27. "Wigan 2–2 Leicester". BBC Sport. BBC. 1 April 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
28. "Rob Kiernan: Wigan Athletic defender signs new contract". BBC. BBC Sport. 20 May 2014.
29. "Rob Kiernan: Birmingham sign Wigan Athletic defender on loan". BBC Sport. BBC. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
30. Dick, Brian (21 February 2015). "Updated: Brighton 4 Birmingham City 3". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
31. Tattum, Colin (25 March 2015). "Michael Morrison raring to go". www.bcfc.com. Birmingham City Football Club. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
32. Rae, Richard (11 April 2015). "Birmingham's Demarai Gray's stunning winner dents Wolves playoff hopes". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
33. Dick, Brian (1 May 2015). "Find out who's available to Gary Rowett – and who isn't". Birmingham Mail. Birmingham: Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
34. "Rangers: Rob Kiernan and Danny Wilson sign for Ibrox club". BBC Sport. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
35. Dick, Brian (23 June 2015). "Former Birmingham City loanee Rob Kiernan completes move to Rangers". Birmingham Mail. Trinity Mirror.
36. Jack, Christopher (30 September 2015). "Danny Wilson and Rob Kiernan get Rangers pass marks so far, but they will get even better with time says Ibrox legend Brown". The Herald. Glasgow: Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
37. "Derek Johnstone: Rangers defensive woes were not a surprise against Saints". Evening Times. Glasgow: Herald & Times Group. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
38. Verrall, John (22 May 2016). "Glasgow Rangers fans react on Twitter to Rob Kiernan's performance in the Scottish Cup final". HITC. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
39. "Rangers: Wes Foderingham and Rob Kiernan extend contracts". BBC Sport. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
40. "Rangers 2–0 Heart of Midlothian". BBC Sport. BBC. 10 December 2016.
41. Gannon, Michael (28 December 2016). "Fulham eye £2million Kiernan bid". Daily Record. Glasgow. Retrieved 24 August 2020– via PressReader.
42. Wilson, Richard (28 December 2016). "St Johnstone 1–1 Rangers". BBC Sport. BBC.
43. "Rob Kiernan: Violent conduct charge against Rangers defender dismissed". BBC Sport. BBC. 12 January 2017.
44. "Rob Kiernan: Rangers defender moves to Southend United on three-year deal". BBC Sport. BBC. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
45. "Southend United confirm Rob Kiernan's departure/". Basildon Canvey Southend Echo. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
46. "R. Kiernan: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
47. "Ex-Rangers defender Rob Kiernan forced to retire aged just 32". Glasgow Times. 10 April 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
48. Smith, Frank (28 January 2010). "Republic of Ireland Under-19 captain Rob Kiernan on trial in Scotland with Kilmarnock". Watford Observer. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
49. "Statistics: Under18 [Powered by tplSoccerStats]". www.soccerscene.ie. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
50. "The former Ireland U21 captain who helped Rangers return to the Scottish Premiership". 14 March 2021.
51. "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
52. "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
53. "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
54. "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
55. "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
56. "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
57. "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
58. "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
59. "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
60. "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
61. "Games played by Rob Kiernan in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
62. Burke, Andy (5 April 2016). "Rangers 1–0 Dumbarton". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
63. English, Tom (10 April 2016). "Rangers 4–0 Peterhead". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 10 April 2016.

External links

• Rob Kiernan at Soccerbase
• Rob Kiernan at Soccerway