SUCCESS STORY: Back to College for football star Alex Kenyon
- Published
- Tuesday 24 September
Football professional and former student, Alex Kenyon, returned to Myerscough College last week to mentor the next generation of students.
Alex was back at Myerscough to give a guest lecture to students on a range of football matters including life as a professional player and coach, and his Myerscough journey.
Alex is an exceptional role model for all Myerscough College students. His success shows the students that with the right desire, attitude and work ethic, a career in the game is achievable and a target well within their reach.
His Myerscough journey began when he was 16, when he enrolled in a Level 3 programme in Football Studies, before moving on to a complete a Foundation Degree in Football Coaching, which he finished in 2012, all while being supported through his development as both a player and a person by Myerscough’s dedicated staff.
On the pitch, Alex is one of Myerscough's biggest ever football success stories.
He began as a youth player at Everton, before breaking into the first team at Chorley during his first year as a Myerscough student.
A spell at Lancaster City followed, before he moved up the pyramid to join Stockport County in what was then the Blue Square Premier (now the National League).
Originally a left back, by now Alex was earning a reputation as a tough tackling central midfielder, and his impressive season saw him make the move into the English Football League (EFL), joining League Two Morecambe in the summer of 2013.
He made 269 appearances in eight seasons with the Shrimps, with his final game for the club being Morecambe’s League Two play-off final victory at Wembley in 2021.
From there, he remained in the professional game with spells at Scunthorpe United and Ayr United, before returning to the non-league scene with Chester, Curzon Ashton, and currently, Bamber Bridge in the Northern Premier League.
Off the pitch, Alex’s coaching journey began with Morecambe Under 15/16s in 2019/20. He assisted the U18s at Chester, balancing roles as a first-team player and mentor.
He is now the Head Coach of the U23s at Macclesfield Town, and recently completed his UEFA ‘A’ Licence coaching badge.
Alex said: ‘’I’d looked at Runshaw College first, because that’s where all my mates were going.
‘’But then another mate told me about the football course at Myerscough and it was a no brainer.
‘’I played in the Academy side with players a couple of years older than me and did well.
‘’The academic side went hand in hand. If you didn’t do your college work, you weren’t allowed to train.
‘’Going to Myerscough was the best thing that ever happened to me. If I hadn’t gone, I wouldn’t have had any of the pathways to any of the clubs I played for and probably wouldn’t have had the career I had.
‘’For me, the experiences Myerscough gave me were unbelievable and I can’t thank the enough.
‘’In the long run, I’d like to be a manager, and hopefully in time I can be.’’
Myerscough College already has a long-standing history of producing football students who have entered the professional game, including notably Anthony Pilkington (Norwich and Republic of Ireland), Joe Bunney (Rochdale, Bolton, Northampton, Blackpool), Jordan Connerton (Crewe), Josh Kay (Barnsley and Barrow) and Rhys Turner (Morecambe).