John Joshua "JJ" McKiernan (born 18 January 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club Bromley. Born in England, he has represented Northern Ireland at youth international level.
Club career Born in Southampton, McKiernan was part of the Hampshire side which won the English Schools' Football Association under-16 Inter County Trophy in July 2018, scoring the winner in the final at the Bet365 Stadium. He joined Watford at U18 level in December 2018 having previously played for non-league Andover Town in the FA Youth Cup. He signed his professional contract in July 2021 and has been given squad number 43.
McKiernan moved to Bohemians on loan in January 2022 and made one appearance before returning to Watford to attend pre-season training camp in Austria, including an appearance against Panathinaikos. McKiernan joined National League team Eastleigh in August 2022 on loan. He was released from Watford at the end of the 2022–23 season.
On 1 July 2023, McKiernan signed for League Two club Morecambe on a one-year deal. On 7 October McKiernan made history at Morecambe with the club's first ever away hat-trick against Colchester United in a 3–1 win, two of the goals scored after going down to a ten man team.
On 1 July 2024, McKiernan joined Lincoln City on a four-year deal. He made his debut on 10 August, in a 3–2 win against Burton Albion where he started the game. His first goal came in the EFL Trophy against Manchester City U21 on 13 November 2024.
On 10 January 2025, McKiernan joined Burton Albion on loan for the remainder of the season.
On 23 June 2025, McKiernan rejoined Burton Albion on loan for the 2025–26 season. He made his second debut on the opening day of the season, starting the game against Mansfield Town which finised 2–1 to Burton.
On 27 July 2026, McKiernan signed for League One club Bromley for an undisclosed fee, with Lincoln holding a significant future interest in the player.
International career McKiernan is eligible to represent England and Northern Ireland at international level. He chose to represent Northern Ireland at international level, qualifying through his paternal grandparents. He was selected at 18 to make his debut with Andy Crosby's U21 squad against Finland, obtaining a yellow card in the 21st minute. During the 2023–24 season, McKiernan was called up again for the Northern Ireland U21 2025 Euro Qualifiers.
Career statistics
+Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsWatford2018–19Premier League00000000002019–20Premier League00000000002020–21Championship00000000002021–22Premier League0000000000Total0000000000Bohemians (loan)2022League of Ireland Premier Division1000——10Eastleigh (loan)2022–23National League41420—21455Morecambe2023–24League Two287201020337Lincoln City2024–25League One1202010211712025–26League One0000000000Total120201021171Burton Albion (loan)2024–25League One191———1912025–26League One311210020352Total502210020543Bromley2026–27League One6200100072Career total1381581308215718
References