 Until half-way through the season, Newcastle only had the inexperienced Kennedy as a registered goalkeeper in their squad, until former Socceroo Ante Covic joined the squad.Kennedy became the Jets first-choice goalkeeper for the 2009–10 season thanks to some strong performances in the 2009 AFC Champions League, after the departure of Ante Covic to Sweden.However, he was criticised by his coach Branko Čulina for poor performances during the season and making mistakes that cost the Jets vital points.