Some players are fortunate; they find their way into the right academy and win the right to start games and they’re set for the rest of their career. Others who don’t have the luxury of ability from an early age, or living in a good academy catchment player have a long and obstacle filled road in order to make it to the top. The following two players started at opposite ends of the spectrum, yet found themselves as defensive partners at Villa.

MR OWN GOAL

Richard Dunne was always destined for big things, having started his youth career at Home Farm Everton before being picked up by the Leinster outfit’s parent club Everton in 1996. The Irishman first drew attention at the Toffees with the club’s FA Youth cup triumph in 1998. The team really was a who’s who of footballing potential, featuring one club men Leon Osman and Tony Hibbert; former Arsenal flop Francis Jeffers, and Danny Cadamarteri.

Dunne’s career, like the rest of that Everton academy team, was beginning to stagnate. And whilst Osman and Hibbert still believed in the club recovering under Smith – Dunne took the plunge and joined Manchester City for £3-million. It was at the Citizens where Dunne would receive his first cap for Ireland – playing in the 2002 World Cup.

His career started out tepidly with the Citizens relegation, however he was eventually promoted to captain in 2004 and won City’s player of the year in 2005; after a decades service, the arrivals of Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure meant it was time for Dunne to move on once again.

Everton and Blackburn Rovers were pointed as initial favourites to sign Dunne. But the Irishmen eventually joined Villa in 2009 to partner James Collins. The two formed an incredible partnership during the remainder of Martin O’Neill’s time at the club. Starting in the 2010 Carling Cup final, and also appearing in the PFA team of the year.

During Dunne’s career he scored a record ten own goals in the Premier League.

The ginger pele

Meanwhile, while things were all well and good for Richard Dunne in the Everton academy. James Collins was starting his career at his hometown club, Cardiff City. Collins made occasional appearances when the Bluebirds were in the third and second division; the “ginger Pele” as some affectionately call him eventually started to make his name during the Welsh outfits Championship days.

It was here that he begun his international career – with the defender being in the Wales U21 setup in 2002, before being called up into a new look Wales team under John Toshack in 2004.

With such scintillating form in the second tier, it was only a matter of time before Premier League clubs would chase the Newport born defender’s signature. West Ham were the lucky club to pick him up. Injuries and high competition for places restricting him to only 30 league appearances in his first two seasons at the club.

Things got even worse for Collins in January 2008 when he was ruled out for a year with severe ligament damage. The injury would render his career at the London club dead in the water.

It was in 2009 that Collins would join Villa and start playing the best football of his career. Collins was one of the major reasons that Villa would achieve their highest placed finish of the decade of 6th as well as reaching the final of the Carling Cup.

In March 2011, Villa manager at the time, Gérard Houllier fined James Collins and Richard Dunne two weeks’ wages after an alcohol-fuelled row with club staff during time away team-bonding. The incident would go on to harm the reputation of both men. Collins returned to West Ham in 2012 while Dunne left on a free transfer in 2013 after many more braveheart performances in Villa’s team before being made to train with the reserves when Paul Lambert arrived.

With the partnership signifying some of the better times at the club, and with both of them making over 150 appearances between them at Villa Park. Collins and Dunne can look back on their time with Aston Villa and other respective clubs with satisfaction and a sense of achievement.