Ben Kennedy arrived as a fresh-faced Northern Irish midfielder; going onto make a striking impact on his Boro’ first team debut too. The 2014-5 League One season saw boss Graham Westley contend with a long injury list. And so Kenners got his chance to shine. It was a chance he took rather quickly. In the seasons that followed, the young lad found himself key to some big moments – notably a crackerjack goal at Kenilworth Road and a last-gasp free-kick winner against MK Dons. But the 2018-9 season saw something go amiss and his time at the club would come to an end.
Kenners’ flexibility was an obvious advantage; his ability to play in an advanced role giving us more than one option when it came to his services. Of course, GW was a fan of players who could put their minds to roles that weren’t necessarily in their locker to start with. Some seriously impressive initial appearances in Boro’ colours gave rise to the hope that a new star was in our midst. Mind you, the merry-go-round of managers to follow was unlikely to help his development. First, it was Teddy Sheringham. Next, there was Darren Sarll. And after that was Dino Maamria. All with different ideas…
Ben Kennedy: After Boro’
As we say, something didn’t seem quite right under Maamria. Midway through the 2018-9 season, Kenners – somewhat out of the blue – went on loan to fellow League Two playoff chasers Newport County. Unfortunately, injury got in the way of his time at the Exiles. He didn’t play much as the Welsh side got into the playoffs – and at our expense too! There was to be no permanent deal to follow. Instead, the lad came back to Boro’ and stayed largely in the background until 2020; the point at which he secured a move back to his native Northern Ireland when he signed for Crusaders.
