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A vastly experienced left-sided player, Kevin Kilbane was recruited during the January 2009 transfer window.

His versatility soon proved invaluable, as in the ensuing months he played in a variety of roles, including central midfield and centre back, as well as his more natural positions of left back and left wing.

With more than 500 club games to his name, Kevin's experience is key part of the City squad. His career started with Preston North End, his hometown club, after he progressed through the youth ranks at Deepdale.

His performances began to draw attention from higher-ranked clubs, and prompted West Brom to break their transfer record when they signed him in 1997. He was Albion's first ever £1million player, and he became an instant hit with Baggies fans when he netted on his debut against Tranmere Rovers.

Weeks later, Kevin made his full international debut for the Republic of Ireland when he was selected to play against Iceland. It was to be the start of a long career on the international scene.

While he continued to impress on a personal level, West Brom were struggling to make an impact in the first division and after two-and-a-half years at the Hawthorns, Kilbane was on the move to the Premier League and Sunderland in a £2.2million deal. He subsequently played his part as Peter Reid's side secured seventh place in the top flight.

The Mackems repeated the feat the following season with Kilbane once again playing a leading role with five goals, although a red card in a victory over Chelsea was a slight blemish. He continued to be a regular on the international front as well, scoring in a 3-0 win against Finland and starring in the World Cup Qualifiers against Holland and Portugal.

2001-02 wasn't quite as successful on the club scene as Sunderland just avoided relegation, but it ended with a highlight of Kevin's career, as he took part in the 2002 World Cup held in Japan and South Korea. The Irish surprised many by progressing through the group stage, but they were knocked out in the second round by Spain after a penalty shoot-out. Kevin was one of those unfortunate to miss from the spot.

That shoot-out heartache set the tone for a disappointing 12 months as Sunderland were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 02/03 season. The Mackems were cut adrift early on, and finished a massive 25 points adrift of safety. Peter Reid left midway through the season and was replaced by Howard Wilkinson and then Mick McCarthy, but the damage was already done.

Sadly, Kevin had become a target for Sunderland fans to vent their frustrations and although he started the 2003-04 season at the Stadium of Light, he was soon on the move to Everton for £750,000.

In a side that featured a young Wayne Rooney, Everton just avoided the drop before a dramatic improvement saw them finish fourth in 2004-05. They dropped to 11th a year later.

Kevin's Everton career ended in disappointment as he was sent off in what turned out to be his final appearance against Tottenham. A move to Wigan came about at the end of August 2006 and, in a twist of fate, he made his Latics debut against Everton.

He was part of the Wigan team that infamously avoided relegation on the final day of the season at the expense of Sheffield United and a 14th-place finish a year later signaled real progress.

Kevin remained a Lactics regular at the start of the following campaign, despite fracturing his cheekbone during a 5-0 thrashing of the Tigers at the KC Stadium.

A consistent performer following his move to the club, Kevin's first goal in amber and black came in a 4-1 defeat to Burnley in April 2010. After signing a contract extension over pre-season, the left-sided player has committed himself to the Tigers until the summer of 2012.

In January 2011 the Irishman made a loan switch to high-flying League One side Huddersfield town in a deal that will tie him to the Galpharm Stadium until the end of the season. Since sigining for the Terriers, Kevin has been a regular face in midfield under manager Lee Clark.  

Continuing to be an ever present in Geovanni Trapattoni's Republic of Ireland squad, Kevin was part of the side that was desperately unfortunate to miss out on qualification to the 2010 World Cup Finals.

Since making the switch to East Yorkshire, Kevin has gone into the Irish history books for holding the record number of caps for an outfield player - a fitting reward for a consummate professional.

 Kevin spent the first half of the 2011/12 season on loan with Derby County.

KEVIN KILBANE'S FULL INTERNATIONAL APPEARANCES WHILST WITH HULL CITY
Total up to 30 June 2011: 18 caps
11.02.2009 H v Georgia at Croke Park, Dublin (World Cup Qualifier)
28.03.2009 H v Bulgaria at Croke Park, Dublin (World Cup Qualifier)
01.04.2009 A v Italy at Bari (World Cup Qualifier)
06.06.2009 A v Bulgaria at Sofia (World Cup Qualifier)
12.08.2009 H v Australia at Limerick (Friendly)
05.09.2009 A v Cyprus at Nicosia (World Cup Qualifier)
10.10.2009 H v Italy at Croke Park, Dublin (World Cup Qualifier)
14.10.2009 H v Montenegro at Croke Park, Dublin (World Cup Qualifier)
14.11.2009 H v France at Croke Park, Dublin (World Cup Play-Off)
18.11.2009 A v France at Paris (World Cup Play-Off)
02.03.2010 N v Brazil at Emirates Stadium, Arsenal FC (Friendly)
11.08.2010 H v Argentina at Aviva Stadium, Dublin (Friendly)
03.09.2010 A v Armenia at Yerevan (Euro 2012 Qualifier)
07.09.2010 H v Andorra at Aviva Stadium, Dublin (Euro 2012 Qualifier) - [SCORED]
08.10.2010 H v Russia at Aviva Stadium, Dublin (Euro 2012 Qualifier)
12.10.2010 A v Slovakia at Zilina (Euro 2012 Qualifier)
26.03.2011 H v Macedonia at Aviva Stadium, Dublin (Euro 2012 Qualifier)
04.06.2011 A v Macedonia at Skopje (Euro 2012 Qualifier)