Gavin Kilkenny

Gavin Kilkenny (born 1 February 2000) is an Irish footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Fleetwood Town, on loan from  side AFC Bournemouth.

Early life
Raised in Beaumont, a suburb of northern Dublin, Kilkenny started out his footballing career at St Kevin's Boys, a schoolboy team with several notable graduates, such as Damien Duff, Jeff Hendrick, Dara O'Shea, Robbie Brady and Ian Harte. Kilkenny left home at the age of 16 to join AFC Bournemouth, having excelled as a youngster at Gaelic football and hurling.

AFC Bournemouth
Kilkenny joined AFC Bournemouth at the age of sixteen. He moved into the club's under-21 squad after serving a two-year scholarship in the under-18s and was quickly elevated to the first team in the summer of 2019, having signed his first professional contract in April 2018. Kilkenny starred and scored in an impressive 3–0 pre-season friendly win over Lyon, being named man of the match. He made his debut for the club starting in a 0–0 draw against Forest Green Rovers in the EFL Cup on 28 August 2019. He then appeared in the following round, starting in a 2–0 away loss to Burton Albion.

Kilkenny made his first appearance of the 2023-2024 season for Bournemouth in their 5-0 FA Cup defeat of Swansea on 25 January 2024, when he came on as a 57th minute substitute for the injured James Hill.

Stoke City (loan)
On 2 July 2022, Kilkenny joined Stoke City on loan for the 2022–23 season.

Charlton Athletic (loan)
On the 31st January 2023, Kilkenny joined Charlton Athletic on loan for the rest of the 2022–23 season.

Fleetwood Town (loan)
On the 1st February 2024, Kilkenny joined Fleetwood Town on loan for the rest of the 2023–24 season.

International career
Kilkenny is a youth international for the Republic of Ireland, having experience playing in the U18s squads and the U21s.

Honours
AFC Bournemouth
 * Championship runner-up: 2021–22