"His was a story worth telling" - Historian pens biography of ex-Halifax player Mick Kennedy

Kennedy, who died in 2019 aged 57, started out at Halifax Town at youth team level before breaking into the first team as a 17-year-old.

Once in the side the tough-tackling midfielder was never subbed or sub, and was sold to Huddersfield Town for a then club record £50,000.

The book is an enjoyable jaunt through Kennedy’s life and career, with many amusing tales from ex-colleagues and supporters.

“When I learned of Mick’s death in February 2019, I was numbed and naturally saddened,” Johnny said.

“I felt his death even greater than other players I’d watched because just a couple of months earlier I’d acquired his phone number. Regretfully, I never got around to making that call, and the opportunity was lost forever.

“I had at that point tentative ideas of organising a reunion of the side that beat Manchester City, and indeed, the following year, the players who made that result happen got together again at The Shay. Mick was represented by his cousin and uncle.

“It was in the wake of Mick’s death, however, that I truly discovered just how loved he was, not so much as a player on the pitch, because he was a nasty piece of work - those aren’t my words, they’re his - but as a person in and around the clubs he played for.

“I read and re-read the hundreds of tributes posted by fans, mostly from those at Portsmouth, where he was revered, and I reckoned his was a story worth telling.

“Indeed, it was those messages that inspired me to put together a lasting tribute to Mick, and with the blessing of his family, set about piecing together his life and career.

“There’s contributions from Shay team mates such as Mickey Bullock, Paul Hendrie and Andy Stafford, whilst further afield I got an insight in to Mick’s career from the likes of David Pleat, Mick Buxton, Mark Lillis, former Middlesbrough keeper Jim Platt, Vince Hilaire, Chris McMemeny and Kenny Swain, whilst the forewords have been penned by Steve Kindon and legendary Portsmouth keeper Alan Knight.

“Mick would never claim to be an A-list footballer, but his story suffers nothing because of that.”

‘Tackle This? The Biography of Football Hardman Mick Kennedy’ is published by Legends Publishing and is due out in October.