Kieran Agard

Everton picked up young Kieran Agard from Arsenal during the 2005-06 season, where he had spent five years coming up through their academy system.  Good place to learn your trade... but not good to be released therefrom...

Kieran Agard had been making something of a name for himself as a regular goalscorer for Everton's Academy Under-18 sides, before being thrust briefly into the spotlight in August 2008, press-ganged on to the subs bench for the opening games of the season to make up the full compliment of seven players required on the bench.

But no-one really expected him to be used in earnest, and he wasn't.  Agard returned to the Reserves for the rest of 2008-09, but he wasn't as prolific and could have been suffering an injury after Christmas.  However, this did not stop him being reserves Player of the Season. He also received the Keith Tamlin award for his contribution to the academy set-up both on and off the pitch.

Agard posses electrifying pace and an eye for goal, even though he is not quite a six-footer; he also seems strong on the ball. He did make it back on the subs bench again a couple of times in the spring (at Portsmouth and Sunderland) and appeared on the radar again at the start of pre-season 2009 with a lively showing at Bury.  With Everton's dreadful injury woes for the later half of 2009, Agard became something of a regular on the first team bench but didn't get much of a chance on the big stage.

He had to wait a while longer before he finally got on the field... for all of 5 mins at the end of a Third Round Carling Cup tie that Everton were winning 4-0. After sitting on the bench for seven league games, he finally got a league debut of sorts... for less than a minute at the end of the December 2009’s 3-3 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

His first start for Everton came (along with debuts for five other players) in the meaningless last Europa League Group game against BATE Borisov.  Nobody really impressed in that game and he only made a couple more token cameo appearances while the Everton squad were so badly depleted by injuries.

After that, it was back to the reserves, and the odd game now and then, where the fast striker has been a regular until he was laid low with a serious knee injury.

After slowly working his way back into contention for the Reserves in late 2010 but getting nowhere hear the first team subs bench, he was sent on loan to Peterborough in November and got to play one game (as a substitute against Fulham in the FA Cup 1st Round) before the manager who had arranged his loan deal was sacked 24 hours after he arrived, and the poor lad was sent packing by the new manager. 

Kieran Agard was one of many players farmed out on loan from January 2011, this time to Kilmarnock until the end of the season. Making three starts and five substitute appearances, Agard notched one goal, an 86th minute volley against Hearts to rescue his new side a 2-2 draw.

His contract was up at the end of the season, so there must be a strong likelihood he would be released and he duly was, moving on to Yeovil Town as a free agent.

Agard would be released by Yeovil in May 2012, and would later sign a two-year deal with Rotherham United.

By Michael Kenrick
Last updated July 2012