Dunn issues parting shot

David Dunn and director Barry Owen at Dunn’s Oldham signing

DAVID Dunn admits the way his Blackburn Rovers stay ended left a sour taste.

The 35-year-old midfielder has signed a one-year deal with Athletic, dropping to Sky Bet League One for the first time in his career.

Dunn believes he should have been given far more than the dozen appearances for the Championship outfit he managed in 2014-15, and the boyhood Rovers fan hinted he wasn’t afraid to voice his concerns.

“Rovers obviously holds a very special place for me,” Dunn said. “At this stage of my career, I found I wasn’t getting opportunities and certain things weren’t happening for me. For whatever reason, I was not playing as much as I should have been and at my age, I needed to play. When you’re not given a fair crack of the whip, it doesn’t feel right.

“If I am not playing and it is down to form I have no problem at all with that. When I am training well and playing well then I expect to play. That didn’t happen.

“It was the right time for both the club and me to part company. Maybe at times it is the case that I can be too much for people to handle. That’s for other people to deal with. I won’t change.”

Dunn had other options, but Athletic’s location helped persuade him to turn them down: “The big thing for me is that the club is obviously ambitious,” Dunn said.

“The new stand is a big plus and I look at the squad and see a lot of young players with a lot of hunger to do well.

“Could I have gone abroad and earned more money? Probably. But it is not the be-all and end-all.”

twitter: @Matt_Chambers_