Perth Glory have confirmed that midfielder Neil Kilkenny has signed a new three-year-deal with the Hyundai A-League club.
The new contract also includes an offer to move into the club’s coaching ranks after his playing career, subject to him having secured the required qualifications.
The 32-year-old joined Glory from City in the January transfer window and impressed in the final 10 matches of the season as Perth narrowly missed the finals.
The one and only @killa_kilkenny is back! 👍👏👊https://t.co/c4ErKxxA1P
@ALeague #CREATEDESTINY pic.twitter.com/Q4w3mCuhta— Perth Glory FC (@PerthGloryFC) April 26, 2018
“I really enjoyed the couple of months that I spent at the club last season and it was good that we managed to improve our results in the later rounds,” Kilkenny said.
“When the club offered me a three-year deal with a coaching job at the end of it, it was too good to turn down.
“Everyone who knows me knows that I have ambitions to be a coach and a manager and I appreciate the club recognising that potential in me and giving me the opportunity to take my first steps in fulfilling those ambitions in Perth.
“The club has the potential to be extremely successful with the right personnel on board who bring the right winning mentality and I want to be a part of that success.
“Hopefully I can be one of the first pieces in a jigsaw puzzle that comes together and takes the club to where I think it should be in terms of achieving regular success.”
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And Kilkenny emphasised his decision to extend his stay in the West was purely based on his ambition to help the club be successful.
“The Perth lifestyle and the lovely weather and so on are all great,” Kilkenny said.
“But that’s not what it’s about for me. I’m coming here to do everything I can to help this club win things, not to enjoy the sunshine.
“I’ve always demanded the highest of standards from myself and those around me. That’s what I did when I came here last season and I’ll be doing exactly the same now that I’ve re-signed.”
In addition to his 10 appearances for Glory last season, Kilkenny also played 28 Hyundai A-League games for Melbourne City where he took out the 2016-17 Player and Fans’ Player of the Year awards.
Prior to moving to the Victorian capital, he had spent his entire professional career in England where, after coming through the youth ranks at Arsenal, he turned out for Birmingham City, Oldham Athletic (loan), Leeds United, Bristol City and Preston North End.