Early career Born in
Preston, Lancashire, Kilbane made his professional debut at his hometown club,
Preston North End, after making his way through the youth system at
Deepdale. It was not long before his performances began to attract attention from other clubs, and he was sold to
West Bromwich Albion for a fee of £1 million in 1997. Kilbane was Albion's first £1 million player, breaking a club transfer record which had stood since 1979.
Sunderland In December 1999,
Peter Reid's
Sunderland paid £2.5 million for the left winger, making him the third most expensive club signing at the time. His impact was immediate; coming off the bench on his debut against
Southampton, Kilbane crossed for
Kevin Phillips to score the match winner. However, this was to be Sunderland's last win until March 2000, a loss in form which came to be known as "The Curse of Kilbane". In spite of his best efforts on the pitch, he soon became a target for the
Black Cats fans to vent their frustrations, as the team's drop in form under Peter Reid continued and the team were relegated from the
Premiership. In the summer of 2002, he gave the travelling Sunderland fans a two-fingered salute on a pre-season tour of France. His days at the
Stadium of Light seemed numbered.
Everton On the last day of the transfer window at the start of the 2003–04 season, Kilbane moved to
Everton for just under £1 million, where he was reunited with
David Moyes. The
Goodison Park fans would appreciate his commitment and re-invigorate Kilbane as a player. In return, he displayed great versatility which resulted in him being deployed right across the midfield, at left-back or even as a support striker, as well has his preferred left-wing position. On 26 August 2006, during his last game for Everton against
Tottenham Hotspur, he was sent off by referee
Mark Halsey for two bookable offences.
Wigan Athletic On 31 August 2006, Kilbane signed a three-year deal with
Wigan Athletic for an estimated fee of £2 million. On 15 April 2007, he scored his first goal for Wigan Athletic with a powerful header in the 3–3 draw against
Tottenham Hotspur. This was his first goal at club level since October 2004. He then scored his second goal for Wigan with a looping header over Robert Green's head from Ryan Taylor's cross as Wigan went on to beat West Ham 1–0. Kilbane played most of his second season in the unfamiliar left-back role, but still managed to win Wiganer.net's Player of The Season Award.
Hull City in 2011 With limited first team opportunities at Wigan due to the emergence of
Maynor Figueroa and with his contract set to expire in the summer, Kilbane transferred to
Hull City on 15 January 2009 for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £500,000, signing a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Yorkshire club. He scored his first goal for the club against Burnley on 10 April 2010.
Loan to Huddersfield Town On 1 January 2011, as the transfer window reopened, Kilbane joined
Football League One side
Huddersfield Town on loan until the end of the season, mainly as a replacement for the injured
Damien Johnson. He made his debut the same day in the 2–2 draw against
Carlisle United at
Brunton Park. He scored his first goal for the club in the 4–2 win over
Walsall at the
Bescot Stadium on 15 January. After signing for Huddersfield, he helped the team to a club record 26 league games unbeaten, before their eventual 3–0 defeat in the playoff final to Peterborough.
Loan to Derby County On 2 August 2011, Kilbane joined
Derby County on a six-month loan deal from Hull. Kilbane played 10 times for Derby, scoring one goal in a 3–0 win against
Doncaster Rovers on 20 August. However, Kilbane's loan was cut short on 29 November, due to a back injury.
Coventry City On 2 July 2012, Kilbane joined
Coventry City on an initial one-year deal. On his debut against
Dagenham & Redbridge in the League Cup on 14 August, he scored a late winner from the penalty spot. On 16 August, Kilbane was named captain for the
2012–13 season. He made his final professional appearance as a substitute in a 2–1 defeat at
Brentford on 24 October, before announcing his immediate retirement on 8 December. ==International career==