Seamus Dunne                                                                   By Lutonfc.com Question and Answer Session

We asked for YOUR questions for the former Luton Town player and Republic of Ireland international Seamus Dunne - and he has kindly answered the questions submitted to him by YOU, the fans! 

Seamus Dunne, who represented the Hatters from 1951 – 196, is one of only 11 players to ever appear in an FA Cup final for the club.

Born in Wicklow and an uncompromising defender who would go on to enjoy ten successful seasons at Kenilworth Road, Seamus Dunne joined Luton Town from Shelbourne, having been signed by then boss Dally Duncan after a glittering youth career in Ireland.  It was a difficult decision for Dunne to make as he had a secure job with the Civil Service but it turned out to be an opportunity he never regretted.

Dunne made his debut for the Hatters on Boxing Day during the 1951-52 season in a thumping 6-1 Second Division victory over West Ham United at Kenilworth Road in front of 19,476 supporters.  A virtual ever-present at right-back from that match until the end of the campaign, Dunne helped the club improve vastly from their 19^th placed finish the previous term as the Hatters ended the season in a highly commendable 8^th place.

Playing in a side that included Luton legends Gordon Turner, Bob Morton, Syd Owen and Bernard Streten, Dunne continued to improve as the years went on and in only his second season with the Hatters, he helped the club finish 3^rd in Division Two and only narrowly miss out on promotion to Division One, Dunne appearing at right-back in 25 League matches. 

Two seasons later, the Hatters were promoted to Division One, Duncan’s side finishing 2^nd and Dunne an ever-present at right-back, playing in all 42 of Luton’s matches during the course of the season.  Meanwhile, another Luton legend was beginning to force his way into the side – goalkeeper Ron Baynham, who would eventually go on to represent England.  Seamus Dunne had himself become an international player, having made his debut for the Republic of Ireland against France in 1953 and also playing against Austria during the same year. 

Dunne helped the Hatters to consolidate their position in Division One, Luton finishing 10^th during their first season in the top Division of domestic football – and the Irish full-back was once again a regular member of the side, appearing in 40 of the 42 League matches for the club.

After finishing 16^th in Division One the following season (Dunne making 29 League appearances), the Hatters finished 8^th during the 1957-58 campaign – the second highest finish in the club’s history.  Dunne once again featured regularly, making 41 League appearances and also helping the Hatters to the semi-final of the Southern Professional Floodlit Cup.  He had also gained a further 10 caps for his country by this time, appearing against France and Luxembourg in 1954, against Spain and Holland in 1956, against Denmark, England and West Germany in 1957 and against Denmark, Poland and Austria in 1958.

The following season so very nearly provided what would arguably still be the greatest moment in Luton Town’s history – an FA Cup final win.  However, the Hatters were beaten 1-2 by Nottingham Forest at Wembley in front of 100,000 spectators.  Dunne did, of course, feature at right-back, as he had so consistently done over the last few seasons, although in the League the side struggled, finishing 17^th in Division One.  He also earned another cap for his country against Poland. 

The following campaign saw the Hatters relegated back to Division Two, the club finishing bottom of Division One with just 30 points from 42 games, although Dunne was one of the better players during the season, appearing in 41 League matches.  The season also saw Dunne earn his final two caps for his country against West Germany and Sweden, taking his total tally of appearances for the Republic of Ireland to 15.

By now Dally Duncan had left the club and had been replaced as manager by popular player and England international Syd Owen who took over as player/manager but lasted only a year in the job before being replaced as boss by Sam Bartram.

And the 1960-61 season was to be Seamus Dunne’s last campaign as a Luton Town player as the Hatters failed to live up to the expectations of a return to the top flight at the first attempt, Bartram’s side finishing 13^th in Division Two and Dunne playing only 16 League games during the season. 

Needing a fresh challenge, Seamus Dunne was transferred to Yiewsley and he then moved onto Dunstable after making a total of 301 League appearances for Luton Town and failing to find the net on a single occasion!  He did, however, as a stand-in goalkeeper, in the days before substitutes, manage to save a penalty from Portsmouth’s Peter Harris.

A real Luton legend and one of only 11 players to ever play in an FA Cup final for Luton Town Football Club, we now want YOUR questions for the Hatters legend Seamus Dunne.

So without further ado, here are YOUR questions and Seamus Dunne's answers: -

1. Making allowances for improvements in tactics and fitness how do you rate the Luton side of the 50s with the our next 1st Division (now Premier side) in the late 80s? 

Seamus Answered: Its really difficult for me to say as I am not too familiar with the 80s football side, but just from what I have seen from the matches on television, it seems to be much more, I wont say physical, but certainly the game is played at a faster pace and probably a bit more organised and natural skills are coached out of them a bit quicker… so I don’t know - I guess in the old days you would probably get more entertainment and certainly more skill than today’s game. 

2. You played as a full back in the days of wingers, against the likes of Legends like Stanley Matthews and Tom Finney. What wingers did you rate most Highly? and how did they compare with arguably our best ever winger Billy Bingham? 

And Also

Who do you think was the greatest player that you ever played against? 

Seamus Answered: The best winger and I think probably the most complete player I played against was Tom Finney, he was better than any winger, whether he was inside forward, centre forward or outside left as he was when I played directly against him, he certainly was the best - he was just better than anyone around.  They all had their own skills, there were the ball players and the speed merchants. When we got into the First Division, which is now the Premiership, I think nearly every club had an international winger. 

I wouldn’t rate Billy (Bingham) as in the same class as Tom Finney, Billy could run and was pretty speedy, his speed was his main asset but his crossing was sometimes wasteful, but if he got a ball he was well able to carry it down as far as the corner flag and knock it over - but sometimes not in the right direction. 

3. One of the reasons I liked standing in the "Bobbers" was that you were very close to the players, and the banter from the crowd was often very witty. Can you recall any such remarks? 

Seamus Answered: I think the funniest incident that I can think of was in a reserve match that I played on a Saturday afternoon, at the end of the season. If I had about 10 minutes to spare I could have counted the total attendance but I reckon there was probably about 500 people there.

The game was against Portsmouth reserves and there was a little Scottish winger we had a little kick with down in Portsmouth. And we kind of had a little score to settle so I tackled him fairly but it maybe was a little bit strong and he made the most of it, the linesman who was probably a little bit stricter than the referee then called the ref over and gave me a bad report and the referee decided to book me. And while he was booking me I looked down the little red track beside the Bobbers stand and there was a guy getting over the spiked fence and he comes running up. I could tell as I saw him he was Irish and I recognised he was Sean Fallon, a friend of mine, who turned out to have been drinking beforehand.

He came running up, (he had obviously been in the Bobbers club for a few) and what he wasn’t going to do the ref for taking my name! As soon as that happened a young policeman came up and asked: "What is the trouble Mr. Dunne?" I just replied: “No trouble constable, he is a pal of mine and he’s had one or two drinks over the top” The young police officer then told me to make sure he gets back over the fence otherwise he will be spending the night down in the station. I said back to the policeman: "Don’t worry, I will settle this fellow." I then had to help him back over the fence and into the stand. 

4. Seamus, looking back, what do you think was your greatest football moment, your first Eire cap, the FA Cup final or your first game in Division One?

Seamus Answered: I would have to say my first cap for Ireland as my father had died 3 days beforehand, he had never seen me play and he always wanted to see me play for my country. I felt very sad on that particular day when he wasn’t there. 

I felt I had a reasonable game but was a bit sick beforehand but Jacky Carey said that was the way it had affected all the players starting off. But I got that under my belt and that was the start of a few more internationals for me. 

5. Who did you think was the best Luton Town player that you ever played alongside of? 

Seamus Answered: I would think Jessie Pye, he was the one player who did more for the team than any other player while I was there. At the time he was a good age and he’d lost a lot of his skill but was nonetheless still very skilful, he was great for team spirit, he was good with the crowd and he made a lot of goals for Gordon Turner at the time. He was one of the great characters at the club.

6. How do you think the Luton Town team you played in would have done in the modern game? 

Seamus Answered: That’s a hard one. I think the style of football was a lot different, even down to formation which was a kind of a 'W' formation. We started off that way, but the main thing was that we always made sure we were goal side of one of the opposition players - it didn’t matter who you were marking just as long as you were goal side and marking one of their players. From watching games nowadays, I think players are more inclined to let opposing players go in past them and allow them to make runs unmarked. It appears to me that they’ve got their positions and they just stand square.  I think it would have been a little tighter at the back in the old days. 

7. Do you still follow Luton Town’s results and fortunes these days and do you ever manage to see the Hatters?

Seamus Answered: I do usually lookup and see how they are getting on and always keep an eye on the first-team’s results.  However, it's just not the same when you're not playing.  I find it hard to get into the games nowadays, even at international level.  Its just not the same for me, but I always manage to keep an eye out for all the results.  (Seamus is now Honorary President of the Luton Town Supporters Club of Ireland) 

8. Who was the best team that you ever played against, both domestically and Internationally?

Seamus Answered: One of the best games I’ve ever played in was against Wolves. I think we lost 4-5, it was an evening kick-off on a real greasy pitch under the floodlights at their place. It was goal for goal, if you made a mistake or let the ball go by you, you could just forget about it. It was just played at an unbelievable pace. I don’t think I'll forget it.

We went back into the player’s bar after the match and there was a reporter by the name of Desmond Hacket who we kind of knew at the time. He came up to us after the match and he commented that it was the best game of football that he ever seen in his life and that it was a pity that it wasn’t televised. He then told us that all the sports writers that had seen the match shared his opinion. Without doubt they would have to be the best club side I have ever played against.  

9. What have you been doing since you stopped playing professional football and what do you do these days? 

Seamus Answered: As little as I can (jokingly).  No, I’ve been working as a draughtsman after the time I stopped playing football really, and I did a bit of coaching. I managed at Dunstable Town for a spell, and then I moved back to Ireland.  After that a bit of refereeing just to keep fit and then the two sons were playing rugby up in Greystones and I used to go up and do the physical training with them. In the past while, though, I’ve been just playing a bit of golf and taking it easy with a bit of walking and swimming now and again.  

10. Did you ever think about going into football management?

Seamus Answered: Yes, for a while I managed Dunstable Town, but I think there’s just too many fingers pointing at you all the time whether you're winning or losing, it’s a thankless job although the money might make it worth the while. I bet Sir Alex Ferguson and guys like him don’t worry about that too much! But no, looking back it just never really appealed to me.

11. Seamus, I remember you well when you wore a Luton shirt.  Do you still follow Luton Town since your retirement from the game and what do you feel is different in the game compared to when you were playing for Luton.  Also do you still keep in contact with any of your teammates? 

Seamus Answered: I do, yes. I see Terry Kelly pretty often, he’d be the closest. I met Wally Shanks a couple of months ago, as well as Ken Hawkes. They’re all a good age nowadays! I also helped arrange a reunion of all the lads a few years back in Luton, which was great to get everyone together again.    

12. Not many people have scored own goals in internationals. Can you talk us through yours from Malmo in 1960? 

Seamus Answered: Oh that was a bad one all right but there where worse ones than that (jokingly), one deflected off me, I think that one went under or off Maurice Swan. If I had to pick my best international game, I'd say I had a blinder of a game in Germany, but that game in Sweden was the worst that’s for sure - and I think it was one of my last.  I don’t think I'll ever forget it!

Lutonfc.com would like to thank Seamus Dunne for this exclusive interview and we wish him and his family all the best for the future.