Name: Paul Victor KeeBorn: 8 November 1969, Belfast
Height: 6.03 ft
Weight: 12.12 st
Position: Goalkeeper
Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 9 Full Caps (1990-1994), 1 Under-21 Cap (1990), Under-18, Under-16, Under-15.
Club Career:
Clubs.......... --Seasons-- Signed --Fee-- League FACup FLCup Other
Ards........... 87/88............... Youth .22/ 0 ??/ ? ??/ ? ??/ ?
Oxford United.. 88/89-93/94 Jun-88 £15,000 .56/ 0 .2/ 0 .7/ 0 .2/ 0
Wimbledon...... 92/93...... Apr-93 ...Loan ..0/ 0
Ards........... 93/94...... Dec-93 ...Loan ..4/ 0 .2/ 0 ...... 2/ 0
Reading........ 93/94...... Mar-94 ...Loan ..0/ 0
Ards........... 94/95-97/98 Jul-94 ...Free .54/ 0 ??/ ? ??/ ? ??/ ?
Linfield....... 97/98...... Oct-97 ...Free ..0/ 0
Cobh Ramblers.. 97/98...... Dec-97 ...Free
Carrick Rangers 98/99-99/00 Aug-98 ...Free .53/ 1 ??/ ? ??/ ? ??/ ?
Bangor......... 00/01...... Jul-00 ...Free .10/ 0 ............ 1/ 0
Crusaders...... 01/02-02/03 Aug-01 ...Free .54/ 0 .6/ 0 .8/ 0 .2/ 0
Glentoran...... 03/04...... Jul-03 ...Free ..0/ 0
Totals............................ £15,000 253/ 1 10/ 0 15/ 0 .7/ 0
Biography:
A product of East-Belfast junior football, Paul Kee was one of the brightest young goalkeepers in the Irish League, picking up Northern Ireland caps at Under-15, Under-16 and Under-18 level. Following a short Irish League career with Ards he joined Oxford United when just 18 in June 1988, making his League debut in a Division Two clash away to Middlesbrough on 25th November 1989. At 20 he made his Full international debut in a friendly against Norway in March 1990. The game ended in a 3-2 defeat, and the following month he played in an Under-21 game against Israel in Coleraine.
During the 1990/91 season Kee played in every one of Northern Irelands games and during the 4-1 defeat by Yugoslavia in March 1991 he is reported to have went to his gloves’ bag, pulled out a white handkerchief and waved it. A month later there followed one of the most embarrassing results in Northern Ireland’s history, a 1-1 home draw with minnows the Faroe Islands.
The following season Kee had dropped down the pecking order at Oxford, and also lost his place in the Northern Ireland squad to Tommy Wright and Alan Fettis. He returned to the Oxford side late in the 1991/92 season and put in a superb display of goalkeeping as a win over Tranmere ensured that relegation was avoided. Over the next few seasons he made intermittent appearances for Oxford and spent several spells out on loan, including back at Ards. He made his final League appearance for Oxford at home to Portsmouth on 14th September 1993, and the following summer he returned to Ards on a permanent deal.
Early in the 1994/95 season Northern Ireland were suffering a goalkeeping crisis, and with both Fettis and Wright injured Kee was recalled to the squad along with Linfield’s Wes Lamont. In October 1994 Kee put in an excellent performance in 2-1 victory in Austria but a month later he was responsible for at least two of the goals in a 4-0 home defeat by the Republic of Ireland. The return to fitness of Alan Fettis in 1995 finally ended any hopes Kee had of winning further caps.
Kee spent the next decade playing football for a number of clubs all over Ireland. During a season at Cobh Ramblers, he took over the goalkeeping position from one Nicky Byrne, who would later go on to find worldwide fame as a member of the pop group, Westlife. Kee, who had previously coached with Bohemians during 2001, announced his retirement from playing at the end of the 2002/03 season, though agreed to act as back-up 'keeper for Glentoran through the following campaign. The form and fitness of Elliott Morris meant he was never called upon.
Kee went on to join the Glentoran staff as goalkeeping coach. He fulfilled the same role with Bangor and, since August 2010, with Ards. He joined Greenwell Star as coach in November 2011 before returning to Bangor in January 2013.
Ards FC Hall of Fame
Rage Online
Northern Ireland Cap Details:
27-03-1990 Norway....... H L 2-3 FR
12-09-1990 Yugoslavia... H L 0-2 ECQ
17-10-1990 Denmark...... H D 1-1 ECQ
14-11-1990 Austria...... A D 0-0 ECQ
06-02-1991 Poland....... H W 3-1 FR
27-03-1991 Yugoslavia... A L 1-4 ECQ
01-05-1991 Faroe Islands H D 1-1 ECQ
12-10-1994 Austria...... A W 2-1 ECQ
16-11-1994 Rep. Ireland. H L 0-4 ECQ
Summary: 9/0. Won 2, Drew 3, Lost 4.
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