FORMER SHAMROCK ROVERS and Manchester United goalkeeper Pat Dunne has died at 72, after a short illness.
The Dubliner also made five appearances for the Republic of Ireland during the mid-1960s.
A schoolboy footballer for Stella Maris, Dunne went to England initially when he was in his mid-teens, joining Everton. But he was back in Dublin within two years, making his senior debut for Shamrock Rovers and winning a League and Cup double with the club in 1964.
His performances attracted the attention of Sir Matt Busby and he moved to Manchester United within weeks of Rovers’s domestic success.
Harry Gregg, the Northern Irish goalkeeper and United’s regular number one, had been suffering from consistent injury problems so Dunne tasted first-team football quickly.
In September 1964, he made his debut in a game with Everton at Goodison Park and was first-choice for the entire campaign, making 55 appearances and ending the season as a league winner.
He left United in 1967 – Alex Stepney’s arrival a year earlier forcing his hand. But Dunne joined Plymouth Argyle and enjoyed a successful three years there, making over 150 appearances.
By 1970, he was back with Rovers though and his second stint with the Tallaght outfit lasted for eight years.
