Player #822 for Aston Villa, Richard Patrick Dunne played as a centre back for the club between 2009-10 and 2011-12 making 113 appearances and scoring 5 goals.

Dunne was born in Tallaght, Dublin on 21 September 1979 and was signed by Martin O’Neill from Manchester City for £6,120,000 in September 2009 as part of a makeover of the Villa defence that had suffered since the departure of Olof Mellberg and Martin Laursen.

Dunne made his debut appearance for Villa on Sunday, 13 September 2009, aged 29, in the win at neighbours Birmingham City.

Dunne made his debut that day alongside James Collins and Stephen Warnock as part of a new look defence for Villa.

Indeed Dunne proved one of three critical and excellent defensive signings that Martin O’Neill made in his final season as Villa boss.

Dunne along with James Collins and Stephen Warnock were a significant upgrade on Villa’s recent defensive options and it was no surprise that Villa went on to have their most successful season under O’Neill.

Dunne made 44 starts in his debut season and helped Villa to the League Cup final, an FA Cup Semi Final and a 6th placed finish in the Premier League.

Dunne weighed in with 3 goals for good measure - hitting 2 in 2 games as Villa earned a draw with former club Manchester City and beat Chelsea in October 2009.

Dunne’s 3rd and final goal of the campaign came on Saturday, 5 December 2009 as he hit the opener in Villa’s 3-0 win over Hull City.

Following O’Neill’s shock departure on the eve of the 2010-11 season, Dunne’s worth to the team continued through the troubled reigns of both Gérard Houllier and Alex McLeish, and whilst the team struggled, Dunne did not and his dominating defensive performances continued.

Dunne made 35 appearances under Houllier - who neither started nor finished the 2010-11 campaign as Villa boss - as Villa toiled under an uninspiring post O’Neill regime.

Houllier’s replacement for 2011-12 - the defensive minded Alex McLeish - handed Dunne 34 starts often as part of a 6 man defensive line up as Villa struggled to avoid relegation.

Sadly injury curtailed Dunne’s Villa career thereafter and he missed the entirety of 2012-13 season under Paul Lambert and could not rejoin the Villa cause to stop the rot that had set in under the bewildering management of Lambert.

To be fair if Dunne had been fit Lambert would have probably sold him anyway - just as he did with Warnock and Collins.

Dunne eventually left Villa for Queens Park Rangers on a free transfer in July 2013 aged 33 having last kicked ball in anger for Villa on Sunday, 13 May 2012.