Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Stuart Robert Kennedy | ||
Date of birth | 31 May 1953 | ||
Place of birth | Grangemouth, Scotland | ||
Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
Playing position | Right back | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1971–1976 | Falkirk | 110 | (3) |
1976–1983 | Aberdeen | 353 | (8) |
Total | 463 | (11) | |
National team | |||
1978–1981 | Scotland | 8 | (0) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
Stuart Robert Kennedy (born 31 May 1953 in Grangemouth) is a former Scottish international football player, who also played as a right back for Falkirk and Aberdeen.
Kennedy moved to Aberdeen in 1976 for £30,000 and featured prominently in Aberdeen's greatest period of success. A hard-working, skilful player, he won every major domestic honour in his time in the North-East, namely the League in 1979–80, the Scottish Cup in 1981–82, and the 1976–77 League Cup.
During the second leg of the European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final in 1983, Kennedy picked up a serious knee injury after catching his studs at the edge of the pitch. Having played in every game of Aberdeen's European campaign up to then, he was forced to watch from the dugout when his colleagues faced Real Madrid in the final in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Dons lifted the trophy after a 2–1 victory over the Spanish giants. Kennedy earned himself a place on the substitutes bench, despite being unable to play, thanks to an act of respect from his coach Alex Ferguson. The injury proved so serious that he never played professionally again.
He was selected in the Scotland squad for the 1978 World Cup, where he played in the games against Peru and the Netherlands. He received 8 caps in total in his 3-year international career between 1978 and 1981.