MARK Kennedy may have 16 years as professional footballer under his belt, but he insists he is enjoying himself as much as ever at Cardiff City.
And having reached the Premier League with Manchester City and Wolves, the 32-year-old Irishman sees enough echoes of past success with the Bluebirds to suggest a hat-trick is within reach.
“I am enjoying my football more than ever and playing for Cardiff City takes me back six years to Manchester City,” said Kennedy, who went up with the Sky Blues in 1999 in his first season after a £1.6m move from Wimbledon.
“They have established themselves over many years and Cardiff are trying to do that now.
“This reminds me of those days with Manchester City. When I arrived the team had quality players, good staff and great surroundings.
“When you look around Cardiff’s new training headquarters at the Vale of Glamorgan it’s fantastic and we can all see the new stadium growing.
“One of the biggest factors was team spirit. We were promoted on the strength of what happened inside the dressing room.
“The main thing is how the squad are together. The bond between players and that togetherness. We had a good team at Manchester City and earned promotion.
“We have exactly the same bond at Cardiff City. That tight bond between players and team spirit can take you such a long way.
“This Cardiff squad is exceptional. We have as good a chance as anybody of earning promotion.
“This squad is capable of achieving one hell of a lot. Nobody is afraid to talk about promotion. It’s not something we discuss every day and we rarely hear it mentioned.
“But if it needs talking about to get people going or somebody needs a kick up the backside and told where we are trying to get to it will be mentioned. It’s not a taboo subject.
“We are fifth after 24 matches.
“Those clubs there or thereabouts at this stage will be there at the end of the season.”
Kennedy is comfortable with the ball at his feet and loves the passing style of manager Dave Jones’ team
“The gaffer is big into playing football,” said Kennedy.
“If we need to dog a game out we can do that. We can mix it with anybody.
“The style of football has made it easier for me at left-back, while the lads I have played alongside have been immense in the way they have helped me.
“I just enjoy playing. At 32 years old I have had plenty of good experiences and plenty of bad ones.
“But I am happier playing football for Cardiff City than at any time in my career.”
More than 3,200 Bluebirds fans are making the trip to Reading and Kennedy says they are a vital part of the chase for Premier League football.
“Our fans have been fantastic, home and away,” says Kennedy. “They gave the players that extra touch of confidence. It’s great for the boys, like an extra man in every match.
“Today’s match features two good football teams. There isn’t a lot between them.
“Remarkably, there isn’t too much difference between the top half teams and those lower down.
“Two teams who have impressed me most this season are Nottingham Forest and Doncaster Rovers and they are in the bottom half.”
Dublin-born Kennedy, a versatile player who can operate anywhere down the left or in central midfield, started his professional career with Millwall in 1992.
He moved to Liverpool for a fee rising to £2.3m and became the most expensive teenager in British football history at the time.
Kennedy later played for Queens Park Rangers, Wimbledon, Manchester City and Wolves, where he played under Dave Jones.
He looked set for another promotion in his first season at Molineux, but a groin tear ruled him out of the run-in and the team dropped into the play-off zone in his absence, eventually losing to Norwich City.
But they went up a year later with Kennedy scoring the opening goal in their 3-0 play-off final win against Sheffield United at the Millennium Stadium.
Kennedy moved on to Crystal Palace and has now settled in Cardiff.
“The gaffer, Dave Jones, allowed me to train with the team last February and that helped a lot when I came here for this season,” said Kennedy.
“I saw what was happening here, the players Cardiff have and I wanted to be a part of it.
“Thankfully I am here and playing. I’ll play anywhere for Cardiff – and if I’m on the bench I’ll do my job and support the lads.
“This is a team effort and every player here will play a part if we are to achieve what we want this season.”
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น