2020 was a different kind of year for all of us in so many ways and for most of us, it’s a year we are delighted to see the back of. For Matty Kennedy though, for all its trials and tribulations, 2020 has been something of a triumph, bringing with it a move to the Dons followed by his international debut for Northern Ireland in their Nations League tie with Romania on November 18th, a 1-1 draw.

“Playing for Northern Ireland was a great experience. I had been away to join squads a few times but had a couple of injuries and so I have had to wait for my chance but I was very grateful to get the nod, and to start as well. It shows that the manager Ian Barraclough had the confidence in me to play and it shows that if you are playing well for your club, then you will get a chance. I enjoyed every minute and I felt that I did alright.

“It was proud moment for my family and it meant a lot to them as well. My mum and dad were watching on TV, as well as my sister. I got a lot of messages after the game which was nice, from some of my old coaches and the gaffer as well who congratulated me.

“It was nice to pay my family back by making a success of things in that way after the sacrifices they made. It was a bit mad looking back now, leaving home and going to Everton at 16. I still remember my first day down there and my mum dropping me off at my digs. She was devastated that she was leaving her son at that age! It was tough at the time, but it is just what you have to do.

“There are a lot of good players who are a similar ability to me but have totally faded away because they stayed at home and went out with their friends and had a lot of distractions. I think it helped me going down there, it kept my two feet very firmly on the ground. It kept me focused, they don’t let being a footballer go to your head, which is sadly what happens to a lot of young players. There are players who were better than me that are no longer in the game.

“Sam Cosgrove and Ryan Hedges were at Everton as young players too and like them, I’ve got nothing but praise for their academy. I don’t think you could have a better youth set up. My coaches were David Unsworth, Alan Stubbs and David Weir, all pretty good players!

“They were strict on and off the park. I remember me and a few of the boys at the digs were messing about one night, just at the dinner table, and the landlady was not happy. We had a game the next day, so Alan Stubbs dropped us all! That is how strict it was. Little things like that make you grow up a bit quicker but it was just their way of looking after you and trying to make you a better person.”

Being involved in the Northern Ireland squad is obviously the realisation of a big ambition for Matty, but he wasn’t overawed by the prospect helped in the settling down process by his teammates.

“It has been spoken about a lot in the past but there is a great team spirit there. As soon as you walk in and meet up with the squad, you are welcomed. They are all very close. Even when we return back to our clubs, everyone keeps in contact with each other. The atmosphere within the group made it very easy for me.

“I got my first chance last month and I thought I did well so I feel that if I keep performing for Aberdeen, I can be part of the plans going forward. Every cap I hopefully receive going forward will be very special to me but I need to keep playing well for Aberdeen, that is the most important thing.

“It was a very positive end to what has been a really strange year for me, like most people in different ways. When I first joined Aberdeen back in January, I think that as a team, we were struggling a bit for form. The first couple of games we did not play well, but things were picking up just before lockdown and I started to feel more settled. Especially with the cup run, we were building some momentum and believed that we could beat anyone. Everyone was starting to play well. I thought I was playing well and was finding my best form again.

“Then lockdown happened. I’d had a niggling ankle injury which would not go away so I had to get that sorted but I could not get a scan till the COVID situation settled down a bit. Then once we got the scan, we could not believe the injury was as bad as it was. It took a bit of time to get back from that and affected what I could do in pre-season. I then started to get going and then the virus hit so that set me back. It does take it out of you and affects your fitness.

“When you hurt your ankle, you start to kick the ball a bit differently until it properly settles. The past month has been the first time I have felt no pain and started to feel comfortable. Importantly, I have felt confident again on the pitch. I have had a good run of games and believe I am close to getting back to my best.

“You need that confidence to play well, that’s what helps you unlock your best form. For me, that confidence comes from my fitness. That is what has been key for me these past few weeks, getting that fitness and sharpness back so I am at the top of my game and then the confidence comes from that.

“Confidence is a big thing for a winger. I do think being a winger is one of the hardest places to play on a football pitch. As a centre-midfielder or a full-back, you can work your way into the game. I’m not saying it an easy job, but as a winger you rely on getting service out to you and sometimes you have to go and create something. You might not have touched the ball for 20 minutes, you might not be having a good game, but you’re still expected to produce something when you do get on the ball.

“We have some very good wingers at the club. Jonny and Niall are both very experienced and you have young Connor as well. I have learned from working each day in training with these guys. I have worked with Niall for longer and he plays on the left wing, so I have watched him a lot. He makes very intelligent runs and is very good from set pieces. Set pieces is something I need to work on and get better at.

“I’ve been playing wing-back recently which is different for me. I have been learning the role and what I need to do defensively. You need to be more controlled in your game. It is important that I still get forward when I can and play as a left winger and provide service for the strikers. I need to be scoring goals and creating chances for my teammates. I feel that I still play my best football in that area of the pitch.

“Naturally, I am a confident player. You have to be that way when you play on the wing. It is your job to make things happen. Even if you don’t beat your man first time, you have to keep going and going. You have to believe you can create chances for strikers and win games for us.

“That is especially the case when things aren’t going so well for the team, which is how it was in November which was a really disappointing month for us. A lot of things went against us in terms of injuries, having players unavailable and we didn’t get a lot of luck with the big decisions either. But we’ve put that behind us and we have to keep moving forward. We made a good start to the season and we know that when we play well, we can compete against all teams.

“I feel that there is a good group of lads in the dressing room. We are going to come back strongly in 2021 and be at our best more often. We will show that consistency. We have played a lot of good football at times. Scott Wright has obviously been a big miss because he is an important player for us. He was playing really well. Marley was also a big loss, but we have got a very good squad. I really believe that.”
Coming to Aberdeen from St Johnstone, what differences has Matty noticed between the two clubs?

“There is a pressure and expectation at Aberdeen. We are expected to win every week and rightly so. It is the same at all big clubs. I have been at big clubs before. I started out at Everton, so as a boy, you had that instilled in you from the start. As I say, it was a good education there, and I had some loans spells too that were great experience.

“I think of all my loan spells, Plymouth was probably my favourite. Derek Adams was my manager there and I got on very well with him. He helped me a lot. My season there, we got promoted at the end of it and that was probably my most enjoyable spell in football. I could not have asked for a better loan spell than that.

“The start of the next season, I went to Portsmouth on loan for the season. I played 33 games for them, I was one of the main players there. There are potentially a massive club.

“I think that’s one thing about my career, at Everton, at Cardiff and Portsmouth, there was always pressure there. There was a pressure playing at Plymouth too, as we were trying to get promoted. Hopefully that experience will help me with my career at Aberdeen because you can feel the expectations there are around this club.

“I can handle the pressure. I’m confident so I don’t mind a bit of pressure. I won’t shy away. I’ll do my best in every game and the pressure doesn’t faze me. I want to prove I’m a good player, create chances for my team-mates and score goals.”

That self-confidence has also helped Matty become one of the characters around the club. There is never a quiet moment at Cormack Park with him around.

“I like to have a laugh. I think that when you come into your work, and we are very fortunate to have this job, why not enjoy yourself? You are doing the job that you want to do. You are playing football with your mates.

“If you have a bad game, if you have a nightmare out on the pitch which I have done a few times, it’s best to learn what you have to and then move on to the next game. I just think being positive around the place lifts other around you and helps them get back to their best. I am positive and happy person. That is the way I have been brought up. I think that brings the best out of me and other people.”