 Following the end of his scholarship, Purcell moved to First Division side Kilkenny City, under the management of Pat Scully, for the 2005 season.He scored his first League of Ireland goal on 9 April at Buckley Park.After one season with the "Black Cats", he then moved to Shamrock Rovers for the 2006 season, along with his manager Scully, after Kilkenny City failed to gain promotion from the First Division.