Scotland's defender Andrew Robertson (R) congratulates Scotland's midfielder John McGinn (L) on the pitch after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualification football match between Scotland and Austria at Hampden Park in Glasgow on March 25, 2021. - The game finished 2-2. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Paul Dummett shared a St Mirren dressing room with John McGinn and Kenny McLean during a memorable 2013 League Cup triumph.
The now-retired defender remembers McGinn as a young 18-year-old who found himself on the receiving end of dressing room pranks at the Ralston training base.
One incident in particular has stayed with Dummett, involving McGinn’s Renault Clio being clingfilmed shut by teammates outside the training ground.
Dummett, who went on to make over 150 Premier League appearances for Newcastle, says he still has a photo of the young McGinn on his phone from those early days.
McGinn has since risen to become Aston Villa skipper and Scotland vice-captain, a trajectory that Dummett says reflects his character as much as his ability on the pitch.
Dummett said: “You look at John, it’s an amazing achievement for him and his family. It’s probably down to his dedication and hard work that he’s put in for so many years.”
He added that McGinn’s personality makes him an ideal leader, saying: “He is that character everyone likes. For him to have that vice captain role for Scotland is important, as a player and obviously as a character.”
McLean, who captains Norwich City, also emerged from that same 2013 Saints squad that toppled Hearts 3-2 at Hampden in the League Cup final.
Dummett believes McLean was actually the more technically gifted of the two players at the time, and was not surprised by the stunning long-range goal McLean scored to clinch Scotland’s World Cup qualification over Kasper Schmeichel’s head.
Dummett said: “At that time you would probably say that Kenny was more the technical player of the two. Both left-footed, both still technically good, but I think people would have said Kenny was probably going to go on and have a better career.”
He praised McLean’s World Cup-winning strike specifically, saying: “His goal against Denmark was unbelievable. The ability he’s got with his left foot, to score from that distance, it’s incredible.”
Dummett himself played a role in that famous 3-2 cup final win over Hearts, setting up the second goal under manager Danny Lennon at Hampden.
He described it as one of the biggest moments of his career, recalling how nervous he felt before the match and how it remains a talking point among everyone involved with St Mirren.
Dummett said: “The St Mirren fans love all the players that played, they’re all called legends. Every time you see anyone that’s involved at St Mirren, memories like those are things that when you retire from playing football, you look back on.”
Now 35, Dummett is heading to the United States to watch England take on Croatia, and has also reflected on former Newcastle teammate Harvey Barnes declining a switch of allegiance to Scotland.
Dummett said of Barnes: “He wanted to give England a go, no one knows exactly what was going through his mind. I guess he’d be disappointed that he’s not going to the World Cup now.”
Dummett was speaking to promote a pre-season friendly between Newcastle United and Everton at Murrayfield in Edinburgh on 12 August.
He expressed enthusiasm for the occasion, saying: “It’s a great opportunity. The better players you can be against, the higher intensity the game will be, it will benefit both teams, so it should be a great occasion for everyone involved.”
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