Dunne and dusted for a bright Blue future

RICHARD DUNNE has committed his future to Manchester City until 2007, convinced the Blues will become top-10 regulars under Stuart Pearce.

The Republic of Ireland defender finally signed the contract extension he had been promised by Kevin Keegan, the man who threatened to sack him two seasons ago after Dunne famously turned up for training in a ‘dishevelled’ state.

With supreme irony, it is Keegan who ended up being first out of the door, quitting two months ago after informing chairman John Wardle he had taken the Blues as far as he could during his three and a half years in charge.

And now, having paid City back for his own lack of professionalism with a series of monumental performances alongside Sylvain Distin in central defence, Dunne is hoping Pearce will be handed the job of cementing the Eastlands outfit firmly in the top half of the league.

“When you speak to the lads in the dressing room, Stuart is definitely the players’ choice,” said the former Everton defender.

“His influence on the team, from the training ground to matches, is there for everyone to see. He has given us something to build on for the next couple of seasons and beyond.

“As a defensive unit our concentration levels rose, the midfield got a bit grittier and the front men were hitting the net more often. We know we will never win the league but there is no reason why we can’t be competing to get in the UEFA Cup on a regular basis.”

Retaining Dunne’s services is a major coup for City, as is extending Nedum Onuoha’s stay by a further three seasons. Onuoha, the 18-year-old full-back, has been an ever-present since Pearce took charge and only signed a two-year deal in November.

Onuoha looks certain to keep his place in the City defence alongside Dunne for tomorrow’s visit of Portsmouth, when the Blues look for a third successive home win for only the second time since they returned to the top flight in 2002.

Jon Macken has returned from a hamstring injury to leave Pearce to select from a fully-fit squad, excluding only long-term casualties Sun Jihai, Trevor Sinclair and Geert de Vlieger

Dunne is convinced another three points are on the way. “Over the last couple of weeks we have seen an improvement in the performances and hopefully there is a bit more to come yet,” he said.

Meanwhile, Birmingham striker Clinton Morrison is considering his future after falling down the pecking order at St Andrews.

The Republic of Ireland striker has one year left on his contract but may have to cut his losses in his quest for regular first-team football.

“I just want to have my chance to show what I can do,” said the 25-year-old, who has seen his opportunities limited following the transfer-window loan signing of Deportivo La Coruna’s Walter Pandiani.

“I will have a meeting with my agent and the boss (Steve Bruce) soon and I will say that I just want to play as much as possible. I am not one of these guys who just sits there and collects his wage packet and is happy with it.”

Morrison added: “The manager has spoken to me and he says he wants me to sign a new contract and that I am part of his plans. But I will have to see what happens. I love Birmingham and I want to stay but it is important for me to be playing at this time of my career.”

Celtic’s SFA Youth Cup final hero James O’Brien admits Aiden McGeady’s impact on the Parkhead first team this season has inspired the younger players at the club to follow in their former team-mate’s footsteps.

McGeady, who has just turned 19, came out of the youth set-up to establish himself as a regular member of the senior squad after putting in some sparkling performances in the Hoops’ Champions League campaign earlier in the season.

And O’Brien, who notched a first-half double as coach Willie McStay’s U19 side beat St Mirren at Hampden, claims the Republic of Ireland international has paved the way for other young players to knock on Martin O’Neill’s door.