However, he was distraught when he was told that Bond planned to withdraw him from the squad due to his disapproval of the training methods of the team's manager Charles Hughes.
Bond later relented on the condition that Kilner was available to play in a fixture against Manchester United, during which he suffered a broken leg that ruled him out for five months but also led to severe complications later in his career.
[5] He joined non-league side Hyde United in 1986, making his debut in a 2–0 defeat to Southport on 1 November 1986 before scoring his first goal in a 3–3 draw with Mossley in the FA Trophy three weeks later.
[9] Three days later, he was named in the starting line-up for a league match against Wrexham and scored both goals in a 2–0 victory, signing a permanent contract with the club soon after.
He enjoyed a prolific season, scoring fifteen times in eighteen league matches including two hat-tricks, as the club finished in second place and missed out on promotion by a point.
[3] Following his retirement, Kilner was helped into a coaching role by Kevin Glendon and joined Bolton Wanderers in 1995 as an assistant community officer.
[8][3] When Megson was sacked by the club in June 1999, chairman Brendan Elwood appointed Kilner as his replacement, becoming the youngest manager in the Football League at the age of 32.
[15] Kilner later criticised Elwood, stating his belief that the club had continually sold their best players and provided insufficient funds to replace them.