Domestic-league season · Burton Albion.
| Competition | Apps | G | A | Min | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 League One | 31 | 1 | 1 | 1451 | 6.68 |
 UEFA U21 Championship - Qualificationat Northern Ireland U21 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 661 | — |
| League Oneat Lincoln | 5 | 0 | 1 | 382 | 6.7 |
 EFL Trophy | 2 | 0 | 0 | 171 | 6.25 |
 FA Cup | 2 | 1 | 0 | 87 | 7.25 |
McKiernan's current-season form is down 14% on last season (Season 21→18), while his Rating held around 42. His peak season for form remains 2023/24 (Season 23).
| Season | Club | Apps | G | A | Match | RTG | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | Burton Albion · 17th | 36 | 1 | 2 | 6.68 | 42 | 18 |
| 2024/25 | Burton Albion · 20th | 31 | 1 | 2 | 6.68 | 43 | 21 |
| 2023/24 | Morecambe · 15th | 28 | 7 | 1 | 6.74 | 33 | 23 |
Domestic-league totals per season. RTG = Field Insider Rating (potential / ceiling); Season = age-blind form that year.
J. McKiernan is a 24-year-old defensive midfielder at Burton Albion, rated 42.1 overall by Field Insider's model, ranking 179th of 482 in the League One. An emerging talent, he has been a rotation option this season (44.3% of available minutes). His defensive output reads 2.95 tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90. Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on McKiernan.
Judged on this season alone, McKiernan graded 18 — a workmanlike campaign that ranks 47th of 63 of the 63 defensive midfielders in the League One, on 1 goal, 2 assists and 2.946 defensive actions per 90.
Year-on-year, that's broadly in line with last season (Season 21 → 18). Over the 3 seasons on record his form has drifted down, peaking in 2023/24.
On long-term talent our Rating reads 42, 31st of 63 of the 63 defensive midfielders in the League One. At 24 McKiernan is in his prime years, and a market index of 26.1 reflects that trajectory.
Past his 2023/24 peak — the recent trend is downward, so buyers are paying for what's left, not what was.
2.95 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — moderate defensive volume, with 6 clean sheets across 36 appearances. Doing that for a lower-table side (17th of 24) is harder than the bare numbers suggest: a back line under more pressure has to defend more often and protects fewer leads, so the volume — and any clean sheets — carry real weight. Going forward he chipped in 1 goal and 2 assists — a useful bonus from the back.
With a Rating of 42.1, McKiernan carries the 31st-highest potential of the defensive midfielders in the League One of 63, and he is posting that for a lower-table side (Burton Albion finished 17th of 24) — individual numbers are harder to earn on a struggling team, so his underlying level likely sits a touch above the ranking. Defensively he reads as moderate defensive volume (2.95 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90). Approaching peak years; value is still building (price multiplier 2×) with the best seasons likely ahead.
Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.
The gold line is market value — an index (not €) blending rating, age and league. It climbs through the early 20s, peaks around ages 23–27 (~26), then tapers with age. At 24, McKiernan sits on 26.1, at or near its peak. The blue line is McKiernan's projected Rating — 42.1 today — recomputed at each age, so it follows the same rise-and-fall as a career matures and declines. Solid = up to today; dashed = projected.
No transfer news found for this player.
