*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
Kenny Pratt
Appearances: 29+17 Goals: 10
Date / Year of birth: 15th August 1988
Position: Striker
Season of first appearance: 2007/08
Season of last appearance: 2009/10
Also played for: Ramsgate and Broadstairs
5' 10" tall Margate-born attacker who started out in Ramsgate's youth ranks. Kenny progressed through the Rams' junior sides and by the 2003/04 season he was playing regularly for the Under-18's.
In the summer of 2006 Kenny joined Margate and featured in the reserves throughout the 2006/07 campaign. He also played for them during 2007/08 and on 26.3.08 Kenny made his first team debut as a substitute in a 4-1 defeat against Ebbsfleet in a Kent Senior Cup tie at Hartsdown Park. He was 19 at the time.
In the summer of 2008 Kenny played in two of Margate's friendlies and on 19.8.08 he made his first appearance of the new season when he came on as a substitute in a 2-2 draw with Hendon in an Isthmian League Premier Division game at Hartsdown Park. Kenny then featured three times as a sub in the next five matches before making his full debut in a 2-1 defeat at Tooting & Mitcham on 9.9.08. Margate lost 2-1 but the Isle of Thanet Gazette said he "impressed" and it was the start of a two month run in the team for Kenny.
At the start of October 2008 manager Barry Ashby told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "...for me Kenny Pratt's been a shining light." and added "He's played the last three or four games and done well. He deserves a goal and when he gets one, I'm sure he'll go on and get a few." Within days of Ashby's comments Kenny got his first goal for Margate in his ninth outing of the campaign when he struck seven minutes into a 3-2 home defeat against Hastings on 4.10.08. The Thanet Times said "his workrate was phenomenal" and in its report on a 1-0 win at Dartford on 11.10.08 the paper said Kenny's "probing runs caused Darts problems".
The Thanet Times said Kenny "absolutely worked his nuts off again" in a 1-0 defeat against visitors Hendon in an FA Trophy tie on 18.10.08 and after a run of seven games without scoring he got his second goal of the season in a 3-2 defeat against Harrow at Hartsdown Park on 15.11.08. Kenny then found himself on the bench for Margate's next match, ending a run of 13 consecutive starts, and came on as a sub in three of the following four games before wearing the number ten shirt in a 2-2 home draw with Carshalton on 6.12.08. He then missed five matches altogether after breaking a bone in his hand.
Kenny returned to action on 24.1.09 as Margate entertained Ashford (Middlesex) and scored both goals in a 2-0 win having been brought in as a last minute replacement after Nathan Bailey was injured in the warm-up. The Thanet Times said Kenny's "attitude and workrate were top-notch" and described him as "a right pest for defenders". From then on he was a fixture in the side again and found some good goalscoring form in the last three months of the campaign.
On 3.3.09 Kenny was on target in a 4-0 win at Canvey Island and he made it back-to-back goals when he scored in a 2-2 draw with Dartford at Hartsdown Park on 7.3.09. Kenny got his seventh goal of the season in a 1-1 draw with Maidstone at Sittingbourne on 21.3.09 and then added to his tally in a 3-2 defeat at Harrow on 4.4.09.
On 13.4.09 he was substituted early in the second half of a home game against Ramsgate having "lost his head" according to the Thanet Times. The paper said Kenny "had to be taken off, before (referee) Paul Harris could send him off, after twice clashing with Nick Davis" - Kenny was booked for the first incident and was replaced immediately after the second. Manager Terry Yorath told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "We had to think on our feet. I was thinking about taking him off straight after the yellow card because he could have been sent off then. It didn't take Einstein to work out we had to get him off. We were pretty fortunate the ball went out of play and there was a lull in what was going on, so we were able to get the subs board up quickly. I thought the ref would have stopped play and had a word with Kenny. Whether he would have sent him off then, I don't know, but if he was on much longer he risked being sent off. He's a Margate boy and his dad loves his football and he was obviously well geed up for the game." Margate ended up winning the game 1-0.
As the campaign drew to a close Kenny scored back-to-back goals in a 2-0 win over Sutton at Hartsdown Park on 18.4.09 and a 4-1 defeat at Staines on 25.4.09 - the last day of the season - to take his tally to ten. That was enough to make him leading scorer and Kenny played 38 times (nine as sub) as Margate finished in the relegation zone of the Isthmian League Premier Division.
He featured in some of Margate's friendlies ahead of the 2009/10 campaign and on the eve of the new season Terry Yorath told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "He's doing great. I've not given him a full 90 minutes in pre-season but I'll probably start him on Saturday. He tries so hard for the team."
Kenny made his first competitive appearance of 2009/10 on 28.7.09 when he came on as a substitute in a 1-0 win over Ramsgate at Hartsdown Park. It was the first leg of a tie played for the Isle of Thanet Gazette Cup and he featured as a sub in six of the next seven games too. On 29.8.09 he was introduced at half-time of an Isthmian League Premier Division match at Harrow and having criticised Kenny's finishing previously the Thanet Times' report said it was the "same old story" when mentioning a chance that he missed as Margate lost 3-0. Kenny's time at the club was almost up and a few days after he'd come on in a 1-0 home defeat against Cray on 31.8.09 his contract was cancelled after he'd made seven sub appearances without scoring.
Kenny then signed for Ramsgate and made his debut on 5.9.09 in a 2-1 home defeat against Burgess Hill in the Isthmian League Division 1 South. The Thanet Times report on the game said that he'd "won plenty of admirers for his effort and workrate at Hartsdown Park but goals were seen as the problem". However the Rams' manager Jimmy Ward told the paper "People say he doesn't score enough goals but he scored 10 or 11 in the Premier League last year and I didn't see anyone else at Margate or Ramsgate do that. He's a tenacious little player."
Kenny went on to make a total of 25 league appearances (18 as sub) for Ramsgate during the remainder of 2009/10 but only scored once from those outings although he did manage two goals in cup ties. He left the club at the end of the season.
In September 2010 Kenny started a university course in Birmingham but he made a few appearances for Broadstairs in the Kent County League during the 2010/11 campaign.
He then played occasionally in the Thanet Sunday Football League during 2011/12 when his university holidays led to him being back in the local area.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
ILC |
KSC |
| |
|
2007/08 (MFC) |
0 (53) |
1 |
0 |
ISTHMIAN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (9TH OF 22) |
3QR |
2QR |
2R |
SF |
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
ILC |
KSC |
| |
|
2008/09 (MFC) |
29 (46) |
9 |
10 |
ISTHMIAN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (19TH OF 22) |
1QR |
1QR |
2R |
1R |
|
Margate finished in
relegation position but were reprieved and remained in the Isthmian League
Premier Division. | |||||||||
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
ILC |
KSC |
||
|
2009/10 (MFC) |
0 (51) |
7 |
0 |
ISTHMIAN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (19TH OF 22) |
1QR |
1QR |
3R |
QF |
|
Margate finished in
relegation position but were reprieved and remained in the Isthmian League
Premier Division. | |||||||||