WHEN David Dunn was first coming through at Blackburn I saw a bit of myself in him.

Not necessarily as a player – he was a better player than I ever was – but he just seemed to know what it meant to play for the club and what it meant to the supporters.

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Of course, coming from the town, that was never going to be in doubt, and over the years he’s given us some great memories.

At his best he was one hell of a player and if somebody asked me to name my all-time best Blackburn Rovers team he’d be one of the first names on the sheet.

You could give him the ball and he’d only need a second to create a moment of magic. He could, and still can, see passes other players couldn’t and can’t.

I would have loved to have played alongside him. Him and Tugay – what a three that would have been!

It’s just a shame that injuries got in his way. He was very, very unlucky with them and, if it hadn’t been for them, he would have gone to play for England for a long time.

But, apart from those few years at Birmingham, he has always been there for Blackburn and I’m sure he will get the send off he deserves in his final game for the club tomorrow.

I hope he starts and I hope if Blackburn get a penalty, they let Dunny take it.

That would be the perfect outcome – a Blackburn win, to finish the season strongly, and Dunny getting one of the goals.

My fear is that he is one of the last of the stalwarts.

Players like him, who have spent the majority of their careers at one club, are a dying breed now.

Contracts mean nothing and loyalty is not as strong as it used to be.

We can only hope there is somebody else coming through the academy at Blackburn.

But, even if there is, it’s unlikely we’ll see the like of Dunny again.