Fred Kiernan was, for a ‘keeper, slightly on the short side, but made up for his lack of inches by being

considerably agile and dependable.

Recognised by his country for a second time soon after arriving at The Dell and then gaining three more during his first season at The Dell, Fred had developed his skills in his native Ireland and his transfer fee of £4,500 was a record for a League of Ireland goalkeeper. He and John Christie vied for the jersey for five years as the side slid down to the Third South before Fred eventually moved on to spend a couple of seasons with Yeovil.

He returned to Southampton and became employed as the secretary of the AC Delco sports and social club. In 1960 he departed rather abruptly after allegations of financial irregularities, it was rumoured he returned to Ireland but, at the time of his death in 1981, he was back in Southampton.