PAT DUNNE

Full Name: Patrick Anthony Joseph Dunne

Born: 09 February 1943

Came from: Manchester United   Went to: Shamrock Rovers

First game: 25 February 1967   Last game: 21 November 1970

Appearances: 164 (164/0)   Goals: 0

Born in Dublin, Pat Dunne established his reputation as a fine goalkeeper, making 67 appearances for Matt Busby's Manchester United during the mid-1960s.

He began his career with Stella Maris before moving to England to continue his development. Having previously had a trial at Old Trafford with the aim of becoming understudy to Northern Ireland goalkeeper Harry Gregg, it was Everton where he completed his youth career during the late 1950s. Turning professional in 1960, he spent two years at Goodison Park without making a first-team appearance before returning to Ireland with Shamrock Rovers.

He made his debut at Dalymount Park in August 1962 and represented the club in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup before also featuring in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup the following season. During the 1963-64 campaign, he played in all 22 league matches as Rovers lost only once on their way to winning the League of Ireland title. The club also completed a clean sweep of domestic honours, lifting the FAI Cup, League Shield, Leinster Senior Cup and Dublin City Cup. In total, Dunne made 29 appearances for Shamrock Rovers.

Manchester United signed him at the second attempt in May 1964 for a fee of £10,500, a transfer fee they could have avoided a few years earlier. He won a First Division championship medal in his first season as United claimed the 1964-65 title, before collecting a second medal when the 1965 Charity Shield was shared following a 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Old Trafford.

During his time with United, he won one Republic of Ireland under-23 cap in 1965, the nation's first fixture at that age-group, and earned five full international caps. His appearances included FIFA 1966 World Cup qualifying matches, the 1966 World Cup play-off against Spain in Paris in 1965, and UEFA 1968 European Championship qualifying fixtures.

The arrival of Alex Stepney restricted Dunne's first-team opportunities, and in 1967 he joined Argyle for £5,000, having made 67 appearances in all competitions for Manchester United.

Dunne spent six seasons at Home Park and was voted Argyle's Player of the Season for 1967-68 after his first full campaign, becoming only the third recipient of the award. During the summer of 1967, he also made 12 guest appearances for Boston Shamrock Rovers, who were in fact Shamrock Rovers competing under a different name in the short-lived United Soccer Association. The competition featured several European clubs playing under American identities before being replaced the following year by the first North American Soccer League (NASL).

A fearless goalkeeper with sharp reflexes, Dunne was an outstanding shot-stopper. His performances were a regular highlight for an Argyle side that often struggled during the late 1960s, although he could occasionally be vulnerable when dealing with crosses.

Having initially signed a new one-year contract at the start of the 1970-71 season after holding out for a two-year deal, Dunne began the campaign as first-choice goalkeeper. However, his form dipped and, before the end of the year, he had lost his place and was playing in the reserve side.

Meanwhile, 33-year-old Jim Furnell arrived on loan from Rotherham United. Initially viewed as a short-term solution, Furnell quickly established himself, and the move was made permanent for £2,500. He went on to win the 1970-71 Player of the Season award in his first campaign at Home Park, despite arriving only in November, mirroring Dunne's achievement three years earlier. Following Furnell's arrival, Dunne made just one further appearance for Argyle, in a cup tie when Rotherham did not want their on-loan goalkeeper cup-tied.

With Furnell's transfer completed, Dunne returned to Shamrock Rovers for £2,500 despite having recently signed a new contract at Home Park. He spent the remainder of his playing career with the club and even took penalty kicks in League of Ireland matches. In September 1974, he became the first player to be sent off in League of Ireland football when he received a red card during a League Cup match against Shelbourne. Over the following eight years, he made a further 158 appearances and scored twice, both from the penalty spot.

Dunne later became player-manager of Thurles Town, Bray Wanderers and Shelbourne. His son, Derek, also a goalkeeper, briefly played for Waterford United in 1989.

He continued to work part-time in football while also pursuing a career outside the game. In 2004, Dunne was appointed goalkeeping coach at Shamrock Rovers. Later that year, he collapsed on the pitch during the warm-up before a match against local rivals Bohemians.

In October 2006, Dunne was sued in relation to allegations dating from his time as a psychiatric nurse. He later settled a civil lawsuit for £75,000 following allegations of sexual assault made by a female patient at Dublin's Central Mental Hospital relating to 1999, although no liability was admitted.

Pat Dunne died in Dublin in September 2015, following a short illness, at the age of 72.