Early Life and Career
Born in Enfield, Middlesex, Kilkenny moved to Australia with his family at the age of four, and grew up in Brisbane.He also worked for a short while at Homebase. When 7, he played for a club in west Brisbane called St. Catherines United Football Club. St Cats is best known for defeating Westminster in the 2008 QCSA grand final senior Mens Division 5. A promising schoolboy footballer, he captained the Queensland schools' representative team. When Kilkenny was eleven, the family returned to England to maximise his chances of making a career in the game. At twelve, he was invited to join Arsenal's youth development scheme, and while a student at Ravenscroft School, Barnet, he played for Middlesex Schools and appeared for Arsenal's under-17 team. In July 2002 he began a two-year scholarship programme in Arsenal's Academy.
By the 2003–04 season, he had graduated to Arsenal's under-19 team and once been an unused substitute for the reserves, and had played international football for Republic of Ireland under-19s, qualifying via Irish paternal grandparents, and for England under-18s. However, he became unhappy at Arsenal, chose to leave the club, and after trials with clubs including Aston Villa, Manchester City and Leicester City, he joined Birmingham City on a free transfer in January 2004.
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