De Mange: Kenneth John Philip Petit (Ken)

1987-1988 (Player Details)

Midfield

Born: Dublin: 03-09-1964

Debut v Manchester City (h): 26-09-1987

5’9” 11st 10lb (1987)

De Mange was raised in the Ballygall area of the Northside of Dublin. He first showed his potential as a schoolboy footballer, playing for St Kevins Schools CBS, and the famous Nursery of Stella Maris before moving on to Home Farm, where his team-mates included Brian Mooney. While playing for Home Farm, he was awarded the Young Player of the Year title for the 1982-83 season by the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland. He represented Dublin Schools and Republic of Ireland Youth. In August 1983 De Mange, along with Brian Mooney, signed for Liverpool, but in four seasons with the club, he never made a competitive first team appearance. He did however help Liverpool Reserves, win two consecutive Central League titles in 1983-84 and 1984-85. In 1983-84 he scored twice in twenty-one appearances and in the 1984-85 season he was top scorer for the Reserves netting twelve goals in thirty-two League appearances. In December 1986 he also had a successful loan spell with Scunthorpe United, scoring two goals in three League appearances, once in one F.A. Cup tie, but failed to score in one other game. On 23rd May 1987, while still playing for Liverpool Reserves, he made his international debut, as a substitute for Mick McCarthy, for the Republic of Ireland, in 1-0 win over Brazil in a friendly at Lansdowne Road. This was under Jack Charlton, and he won his second cap on 19th October 1988 in another home game against Tunisia. De Mange came on for Tony Cascarino and helped the Republic win 4-0. He was also capped five times at Under-Twenty-One level in 1986. He signed for Leeds in September 1987 for £65,000. De Mange marked his Leeds debut with a brilliant diving header to score in the eighth minute, but that was his only strike in his brief Leeds career. Although he seemed to have the makings of a good player, David Batty was emerging and he was allowed to move to Hull City in March 1988 in a surprise £65,000 deal. In 1989 he played for the Irish Under-Twenty-ones and he came on as an eighty-ninth minute substitute for Alan McLoughlin in the 4-1 win by Ireland "B" over England "B" in Cork on 27th March 1990. He subsequently made sixty-eight League appearances, of which twenty were as a substitute, and scored one League goal for City. He also made a further four appearances for City in the FA Cup and one in the League Cup and one start and one game from the bench in other games. He was in and out of the Hull team and, after two spells at Cardiff City in November 1990 and March 1991, where he made fifteen appearances, he returned to Ireland to play for Limerick in June 1991. After scoring three goals in twenty-eight games and helping them win the League of Ireland Cup, he moved north to Ards at the end of the 1992-93 season, but after one goal in eight games, he was soon back to the Republic with Bohemians in November 1993. He scored once in twenty-two games before leaving for Dundalk on a free transfer in October 1994. During the 1994-95 season he played for the Dundalk team, managed by Dermot Keely, and he helped the club win the League of Ireland title, the League of Ireland Cup and the Leinster Senior Cup. During the campaign he scored three League goals, in thirteen games. Two against Monaghan United on 11th November 1994 in a 4-0 away win and one against Cobh Ramblers on 12th December 1994 in a 2-2 away draw. After retiring due to a hip injury, he became a baggage handler at Heathrow and was still there in 2008.