Why Aston Villa’s Carling Cup run helps Dunne forget Ireland’s heartbreak

Dec 5 2009 by Mathew Kendrick, Birmingham Mail

RICHARD Dunne insists Villa’s Carling Cup run has helped “free his mind” after breaking his silence over Ireland’s controversial absence from the World Cup.

Martin O’Neill’s men’s march to the semi-finals of the competition has been a welcome distraction for Dunne after his disappointment on the international stage.

But the former Manchester City defender is more interested in getting through to the cup final than contemplating the prospect of meeting his old club at Wembley.

If Villa overcome Blackburn in the last-four they could set up a clash with City who face Manchester United in the other semi.

“The Ireland World Cup situation has been one of those things where everywhere you turn, everyone wants to talk about it,” said Dunne.

“The FAI are still trying to get in there, but it is one of those things that happened, it’s over, it’s not going to change and it never will, so why keep thinking and talking about it?

“We’ve had a busy schedule at Villa and having a busy schedule here, and a semi-final to look forward to, does free your mind.

“We could possibly face Man City in the final, but we have some tough ties to get through. It is a great chance for ourselves and Blackburn as well.

“The main thing is just getting to the final. Whoever we play is irrelevant really.

“I’ve never been to a semi-final as a senior player before. I’ve been to a few quarter-finals and as soon as I’ve started thinking about getting to a final, I’ve usually got knocked out.

“We have already been beaten by Blackburn this season, so we know it is going to be difficult.

“We won the FA Youth Cup at Everton but since then I’ve only got to the quarters.”

Dunne’s chances of ever gracing a World Cup finals were effectively ended when Thierry Henry’s blatant handball helped France to qualify at Ireland’s expense.

Television cameras picked up Henry sitting on the Croke Park turf explaining his actions to Dunne at the end of the qualifying play-off tie in Dublin last month.

But Dunne, who has won 57 caps for Ireland, insists that the time has come for his country to stop dwelling on the injustice and to look to the future instead.

“I am feeling grand,” said Dunne. “It is out of the system now. It has been and gone. I’ve had three or four games since I came back and one straight away when we went to Burnley.

“It was disappointing at the time and you can feel sorry for yourself for a day or two but then it is time to move on.

“I wasn’t aware of the incident at the time when Henry spoke to me. I hadn’t seen it then. It was only in the dressing room afterwards that they showed it on the computer.

“He sat down with me. He just said he handled it but I hadn’t see how blatantly he handled. But what do you do?”

“It may be disappointing when it is going on next summer, but at the moment it is of no interest whatsoever.

“It doesn’t bother me what people think. I don’t have any thoughts about it. It is best to get on with your own career. It is over.”