Kennedy, who guided Jersey to three senior Muratti successes against Guernsey between 2007-2009, has been given the nod by new JFC president Charlie Browne as the league prepare for their away encounter against the Amateur Football Combination at Redbridge FC on 26 September.
The selection puts a stop to the routine of having the Jersey FA senior manager – currently Jimmy Reilly – in charge of both sides.
Under the then Island boss Craig Culkin, Jersey won the Inter-League Cup in 2012 to secure a place at the UEFA Regions Cup in San Marino. Kennedy was on the touchline as Culkin’s assistant for those campaigns, and, after his ‘surprise’ appointment, he is excited by the prospect of a potential.
‘When you’ve been involved in football your whole life you want to grab big opportunities with both hands. The passion doesn’t phase out, so I’m really looking forward to getting my tracksuit back on to work with the players.
‘I wouldn’t have taken the job if i didn’t think we were capable of winning it, but I know it will be a mammoth task because we won’t have the same level of experience as we had in 2012. One blow is that Luke Watson is off Island now – he was outstanding and his influence will certainly be missed, but at the same time it does provide others with the opportunity to step up to the mark.’
With the squad selected for next month’s encounter likely to be similar in make-up to that utilised by Reilly for JFA fixtures, Kennedy, who will be assisted by St Paul’s manager Paul Brannan, explained that communication will be important.
He added: ‘I was very fortunate to be part of Craig’s staff in San Marino and we’re well aware of what we can achieve. This is probably one of the biggest opportunities the Island footballers will ever have.’
