Life through a lens: Paul Dummett

A young Paul, right, at St. James' Park in the mid-1990s

How old would I have been there? Seven years old, maybe? That's me on the right - I'm not the ginger one! That's my older brother, Marc.

The stadium's changed so much because that's where the boxes were, on the far side behind us. I'm in the Milburn Stand there, but I honestly can't remember that photo. My mam's kept loads though. I've got a book from when I turned 21 - my brother's wife made a portfolio of all these different photos, some from when I was younger, some from when I was playing for Newcastle. That's how I've got them all - I think they found them all in the loft.

I got a season ticket in the Milburn Stand after the extension was done. I was in level seven then. I was there first, then I went over to the East Stand when I got older.

I must have been a stadium tour here because there's no-one there. I don't know how else I would have been in the stadium at that point, so it must have been that. I think my mam or dad must have taken the photo. I remember those tops though. And do you remember the one that was black with green on it? I had that as well.

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Dummett joined United's academy at the age of nine

I think I'm playing against Middlesbrough there. I do remember this one. I must have been about nine. That was the first year I had of playing for Newcastle properly. As an eight-year-old I trained every week, but you didn't sign properly until you were nine. It's younger now, isn't it? But back then, you couldn't sign until you were nine. I remember we used to train at Mardon Bridge, Whitley Bay, and then we actually used to train here at the training ground sometimes and play games here or at Coach Lane.

I used to be an attacking player, a centre midfielder - box-to-box. I used to score goals all the time. I know that sounds stupid, but I actually did! I was faster, quicker and stronger than everyone at that age and would score goals. I was all over the pitch, trying to do every job I could.

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A team photo from 2000/01, with Dummett second from right in the bottom row next to goalkeeper Mark Gillespie. Current kitman Greg McDermott is second from right in the back row

So that would have been when I was about ten. That's the same strip, isn't it? Just with the sponsor on. There's me, Mark Gillespie, Warren Pearson, Blair Adams, Mark Cullen, Kevin Green... I'm not too sure on some of them - I can't remember their names now - and then that's Greg. That's Gary Ives (player development coach - far left, back row). He's still here now.

Me, Mark and Greg have been friends since then. That's how we became friends, in this team. Mark left when he was 16, then came back (in 2020), and Greg left when he was 21 and now he's kitman. It's weird that all three of us are back here together now.

Greg and Mark both went to school together, but we played together every week and became good mates. When I got to 11, I started playing in the year above so I wasn't playing with them anymore - I played with Ryan Donaldson's age group until Glenn Roeder came in (as academy manager) and when he came, he put me back in my own age group. That must have been when I was 12 or 13. I went from centre midfield to left wing, and then when I was playing for the year above I started to grow a bit and I lost pace so I started playing left back. Ever since I was 13, I've played left back.

That was a really good team, actually. We had a good age group. I know at that age it's hard to say but we had a good group. A few of them were there quite a while, and Blair Adams has played at a good level, Mark Cullen's played at a good level, so we had a good team growing up.

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Dummett progressed through the United ranks to reserve level before joining Gateshead on loan in March 2012, remaining with the Heed until the end of the 2011/12 season

At this point, I didn't think I would ever play for Newcastle. Even though it was still a good standard in the Conference, I didn't think that I would play for the Newcastle first team. But my thought at the time was that I needed to go and play football somewhere - it's going to benefit me playing for a men's team, whether it helps me get somewhere else after Newcastle or helps me at Newcastle. A lot of clubs don't take a chance on younger players, and I had to try and go and play there.

I was in the reserve team at Newcastle at the time. Players were saying to me, 'what are you going there for?' They were laughing at me, saying, 'don't go to Gateshead'. They basically thought they were too good to go to Gateshead. But I was thinking that I didn't have any other options at the time, and I needed to go and do something. It was close as well. I was only there for a month or two, then came back to Newcastle.

I really enjoyed it. The lads were good there. I knew quite a few of them anyway - Gateshead had quite a lot of players from the North East. Then they had a few ex-Newcastle players who were older than me, so I knew of them but didn't know them. It was fine from the start. We trained every day, round the back of the stadium.

Ben Clark was captain. James Curtis was a funny one, he's still playing - he's 40! You had Jamie Chandler, James Marwood, Craig Baxter, Kris Gate. Martin Brittain was there. He was funny, him, a funny guy.

It was different to the reserves here. You had to try and win, and it was much more physical - it was just much harder altogether. For all young players, it's good for them to do that. I learned a lot playing there, playing in front of fans who actually support the team, because it's different in the reserves - you have people coming to watch, but just because they're interested in the younger players. It meant a lot more to people there.

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While on loan at St. Mirren the following campaign, Dummett netted his first professional goal in a 1-1 draw against St. Johnstone

This move happened because Newcastle said I could go on loan again. Tommy Craig was assistant manager there. He'd been at Newcastle in the past and still kept in touch with people here. I think he'd spoken to Steve Harper, and he'd said I was available. I went up - mam and dad took me up - and I met Tommy Craig at Hamilton services and signed. I loved it up there, it was class. I went until the January, came back, played one game for Newcastle and then went back up.

Tommy Craig had said to me that as long as I was fit, I'd play every week. That was good for me to hear. They did have another left back but I played 36 games that season, which was a big turning point in my career. People say the league's not great but there's a lot of players up there who are capable of playing in the Premier League, then some in the Championship, some in League Two, some Conference - there's a big mix of standards. Then you've got Rangers, who weren't in the top league at that time, and Celtic, who I played against a few times.

We had some good players, and we had some experienced ones who'd played in the Football League in England - Gary Teale, Jim Goodwin was captain, John McGinn was there, Kenny McLean at Norwich, Sam Parkin, Steven Thompson.

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Dummett returned to Tyneside midway through the season and was handed a Newcastle debut by Alan Pardew in the FA Cup defeat to Brighton in January 2013

I was on the bench that game, then came on. I came on (for James Perch) at half time. We were getting beaten and I think we had quite a bad record against Brighton in the past. They'd said I couldn't go back out on loan for now, and that I was going to be needed. I was surprised to get a game but we got knocked out of the cup, so after that, they said I could go out on loan again.

I had wanted to stay at St. Mirren - I was enjoying being there and St. Mirren were doing well with their Scottish League Cup run, so I wanted to stay and play. I missed the semi-final of the cup so I was gutted not to be there, but at the same time, it was great to get to make my debut for Newcastle in the end.

I probably didn't get much time to appreciate it. I was coming up to being out of contact at the end of that season, so I needed to play a few games if I was going to get a new contract at Newcastle and if not, at least I would be making my name at St. Mirren.

I can't remember much of the actual game. I can't even remember the score. Mad that, isn't it? My first game and I can't remember much. I do remember coming on - and the manager kicking off, going berserk with everyone after the game - but nothing else.

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Dummett returned to St. Mirren later that month and helped the Buddies lift the Scottish League Cup with a 3-2 win over Hearts in March 2013

To win the final was so big for that club because they hadn't won a trophy for 26 years. We had an open-top bus tour round Paisley. Everyone loved it - the fans crowded in everywhere. Mark Gillespie played in Scotland (for Motherwell), and he said that there's pictures of that team all over. I think our names are on the steps up to the stadium.

I think those players will probably be remembered for a long time. I always thought, when I won that there, with how crazy it was for them and how many fans they had, what would it be like if Newcastle could do that one day? I still think about that now.

I was very nervous before that final at Hampden Park, actually, even though I'd played a lot of league games there. I'd never played in a cup final that big, with that many fans there. It was full.

My man scored - the guy I was up against - so they were winning 1-0. He was one-on-one with me and it went through my legs. I felt like it was my fault but I crossed for (Thompson to score) one of the goals, so I felt like I made up for it a bit.

Afterwards, the whole team went to this place in Paisley and didn't pay for any drinks. Everything was free. I think we had a party for two or three days after that.

But I still had no idea what would be happening to me at Newcastle - I hadn't heard anything. We played Celtic at home that month and Steve Stone and John Carver came to watch me. They told me they thought I was the best player on the pitch, but I never thought that at the time. They said they thought I stood out in that game, and they reported back to Newcastle that they thought I should get a new contract. But I didn't know that at that point - I didn't know until later on.

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After his successful spell in Scotland, Dummett – pictured with his father Ian – was handed a new one-year contract by United, with his long-term future still unclear

Bloody hell! Look at that. I think at that point Pardew had said that he'd give me a new one-year contract, but he didn't think I was good enough for Newcastle. I just said that I need to try and prove you wrong. He said that was the attitude he wanted to hear. But they wanted to keep me because the staff said that they liked me and that summer, they picked the team for the first pre-season game based on who came back the fittest.

I trained hard that summer. I played, got man of the match in that first pre-season game (at Motherwell), and then started or came on in every other friendly. Then in the eighth league game of the season (against Liverpool), Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa got sent off and I came on, scored, and then signed a six-year contract. Within the space of two months from that contract being signed, it all changed.

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The same summer Dummett was handed his new contract, his close friend Greg McDermott left the club. This photo – which Dummett posted on Twitter – was taken before McDermott left for Australia to continue his playing career

I'm not sure if this one is in Glasgow or Newcastle. I came back from St. Mirren at 21 and he got released that summer, when I got the one-year contract. He went away to Australia. I can't believe you've even found a photo like that! It's funny, isn't it. I'd never do that now, get a photo like that and post it.

He went out there on his own and it was a big move for him. I know he ended up back here but at the time, he was trying to pursue a football career. Things change in football but at that age, it's new to you, isn't it? Now, when you're older, you realise football works like that. Things change from one day to another. People get sacked, people leave. You can be so close to someone at a club, then they leave and you might never speak to them ever again.

But we've been best mates since then. We always stayed in contact. We FaceTimed every couple of days. The time difference made it hard!

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On holiday with Mark Gillespie in Ibiza, summer 2013

And this one with Mark, that was that summer too. He left at 16 to go to Carlisle United. I'd see him when he'd come home. When he started playing in the first team we used to go to watch him in the midweek games. If he was playing, a few of us would drive over - being that age, you've got nowt else to do apart from train and go home. We thought we might as well go, have a bit of a laugh and watch him concede a few goals…

There'd been lots of lads I'd played with by then who'd come and gone, but none I'd kept in contact with like Mark and Greg. There were a few I'd have on social media - see what they're doing, send a message to every so often - but no-one else I was really close enough to speak to that often.

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Two months after making his Premier League bow on the opening day of 2013/14, Dummett came on as a substitute against Liverpool at St. James' Park

This one is the biggest moment of my career, in these pictures. From signing a one-year contract, to then coming on and scoring in the eighth game of the season, all because someone got sent off! Football changes so quickly. To come on in that game and score against Liverpool, and then sign a six-year contract... it changed my life. That one goal changed my life.

I'd worked so hard in the summer to get that goal. It was partly circumstance as well, but I might not have been in that position if I'd not come back so fit, and then I might not have got the opportunity to play in the first pre-season game. I think Steven Taylor was injured and then Yanga-Mbiwa got sent off, so I came on at centre half. We had ten men, against Liverpool, and they had (Luis) Suárez and (Daniel) Sturridge up front - that was when they were prolific. I scored to make it 2-1 and we ended up drawing 2-2.

It was his second senior goal but his first in black and white, and his first at St. James' Park

I remember after that game Shola (Ameobi), in the changing room, said to me, 'no matter what happens in your career, whether you stay with the first team or you end up going elsewhere in the future, no-one can ever take that away from you'. He said, 'you've done the easiest thing by getting a chance to play. The hardest thing, now, is staying here with the first team'.

I was meant to get Suárez's shirt after that game, but (Cheick) Tioté wouldn't let me have it! Suárez had agreed to give me it in the tunnel but Tioté was like, 'nah, I'm having it', and took it when we were both standing there together. In the changing room after the game, me and Sammy (Ameobi) were giving Tioté a bit of grief, saying, 'you shouldn't have taken the shirt - he said he would give it to me'. Then (Yohan) Cabaye said, 'here's a present from me to you', and he gave me Steven Gerrard's shirt. So in that game, I scored my first goal and Gerrard scored his 100th league goal, and I've got both his shirt and my shirt from that game now.

The goal against Liverpool gave Dummett a degree of fame in his hometown

I think I'm just level headed, though. It is weird thinking that more people recognise you, and you have people coming to get photos and that, but it was alright. It's nice at first, because it's something you've never had before. You get used to it - it's something everyone has to do.

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On the final day of that season, though, he found himself in the eye of the storm. During a defeat at Anfield, Dummett was sent off for a challenge on Luis Suárez and with the World Cup just weeks away and their talisman's fitness now in doubt, Dummett was targeted by Uruguay supporters

That was a weird day. Shola got sent off before me. A few weeks before that game, actually, Pardew had been saying to me, 'I think you can do a job in centre midfield if I need you to'. He said, 'I used to have Christian Dailly at West Ham and I think you can do a role like his - sit in front of the back four, run, tackle, kick, head it, and pass the ball simple to everyone else'. I don't know why I had come on, but he brought me on in centre midfield. I literally got sent off within two minutes. When I walked into the changing room, Shola was there. He was like, 'what you doing here?' I was like, 'I've just been sent off!'

Really, I don't think the tackle was that bad – it just looked bad because my leg swung, and it got rescinded in the end. It wasn't a great feeling, though. You feel like you've let the team down, especially when the manager's just brought you on. I was literally on the pitch for two minutes.

Then I got death threats. They were only on Twitter so I never thought anything would happen, but still - I thought if I go to Uruguay, they're going to kill us! They sent me loads of mad things on there, but a lot of it didn't make sense - they were using Google Translate and it was coming back with loads of weird words that didn’t make sense. I saw everything, though.

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In January 2016, with Steve McClaren's Newcastle struggling, Dummett's 90th-minute screamer - arrowed into the top left-hand corner in front of the Gallowgate End - gave the Magpies a point at home to Manchester United

That was a Tuesday night, a midweek game, to make it 3-3. I don't know if I'd made a mistake but (Wayne) Rooney scored before me, and it hit me before Rooney got it as well, so when I scored this one I was quite relieved. Scoring against Liverpool and Manchester United… people will have thought I only scored against the big teams!

It was my first season wearing the number three. I'd had two seasons as number 36 - one where I was in-and-out, one where I was playing more - and then when Steve McClaren was manager I got the number three. Being a Newcastle fan and knowing I was the first choice left back at that point, I wanted it. You just feel better with it, as a left back. It's my favourite number now.

We played a lot of good football around that time, I know that. We had good players. McClaren's training was always good, we played good football, but we always seemed to be quite open. We conceded a lot of goals. We had a lot of players with ability. I don't know if some were thinking, 'well, if we go down I'll leave anyway', which happened with a few, and I think that played a part. But we were conceding loads of goals.

This was a memorable moment though. It was a good point at the time. I don't know if it meant more at the time because we were in a bad situation. I didn't really celebrate, did I? No-one really celebrated with me. It was just me and Ivan Toney. Maybe it was because it was just the equaliser.

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The 2015/16 season was a slog. McClaren was replaced by Rafa Benítez in March 2016 but despite a mini-revival under the Spaniard, United were left staring down the barrel after a goalless draw at already-relegated Aston Villa on the penultimate day of the campaign

I remember this game and it was strange - it didn't feel like we had to win the game, the atmosphere was quite weird, they passed the ball around the back, there wasn't as much intensity as a normal game, I don't know - it was just weird. I've been in a few pressured games when we've had to win games to stay up so it has happened before, and it's even more pressured at that stage of the season.

We still thought we were good enough to stay in the league at that point. But once that game was over, and I think you can tell, we looked like we'd been relegated. We knew we were going down.

Sunderland won (against Everton to secure survival after this game). It's always nervous watching those games when you're in that situation, praying the other team wins. I remember Sam Allardyce celebrating at the end and I hated it. That was a horrible feeling. I remember tweeting after that, saying, 'we’ll be back'. We didn't lose many games under Rafa - I think if he'd come in two or three games earlier, we'd have stayed up. Maybe two more games, and we'd have stayed up.

In this picture you can tell I know we're relegated, it's done, we're not going to stay up. It's disappointment, gutting, knowing that we didn't take the opportunity we should have taken to keep ourselves in the league.

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A video from Dummett's Instagram account, from the day United returned to the top flight at the first attempt by winning the Championship in 2017

We knew we were getting promoted by then, but I think Brighton, supposedly at the time, we'd heard they had organised open top tour buses for winning the league, with 'champions' all over it. They lost a couple and we were winning games, and on the last day of the season we thought, 'we could win the league here'.

Someone was on the phone on the sideline at the end, saying, 'Villa are winning, Villa are winning! We're going to win the league!' We couldn't believe it.

We never thought that was going to happen. It was an added bonus, really. It was a big season for me - I played a lot of games and we were winning most weeks, so it's more enjoyable.

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After the elation of the previous campaign, Dummett's 2017/18 started disastrously. He suffered a serious hamstring injury just seven minutes into the opening day defeat to Tottenham Hotspur

The first game of the season in the Premier League. That was horrible, absolutely horrible. That feeling. I was in so much pain. That was one of the worst pains I've ever had, pulling my hamstring there. I'd done a full pre-season. I was fully fit all the time.

It wasn't long in. I turned inside and went to tackle on my right leg and just felt the sharp pain. I was lying on the floor and the physio came on. I said, 'don't even touch my leg. I need to come off'. I knew it was bad.

I went in to get it looked at. Normally when you have a hamstring injury, you lie on your back. I couldn't - I had to lie on my front and keep my leg flat to ice it. I was out for four months after that. Horrible.

Injuries happen but I've always done what I could to make sure I was back quicker, or played when managers need me to play when we were in relegation fights, when I wasn’t fully fit, and caused myself more damage, because I'm a Newcastle fan. Actually, even if I wasn't a Newcastle fan, I'd still be the same – the person I am, I'd want to play and help the team.

I've played a lot of times for Newcastle when, really, I wasn't fully fit, and caused more damage and made myself injured, which hasn't helped me. But at the time, you want to play, you want to help the team, so you make those decisions and sometimes they backfire. Over the past ten years at Newcastle I've sacrificed myself in situations. That time, I wasn't. But other times, I've been injured and not fully fit, and probably shouldn't have played.

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Dummett's dependability saw him receive international recognition. Between 2014 and 2019 he earned five caps for Wales, qualifying through his grandfather

I didn't play that often! Chris Coleman said some things at the time, before the Euros and stuff... said I was going to be involved and play in the games and that, and said I would be starting and then when he named the team I wasn't starting - things like that.

I was travelling round all over the world and not playing, picking up a couple of niggles. We had Neil Taylor and Ben Davies, so I was third choice left back in a back five at the time, and I wasn't going to get an opportunity to play, so eventually I just thought I'd concentrate on playing for Newcastle at the time.

I'm still proud that I did it, and maybe looking back I could have had more caps over the past few years. Neil Taylor stopped going and they changed formation so I could have had more caps, I think, but I made that decision not to go back and I stick by that.

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Plenty is expected of modern-day footballers, with media obligations an almost daily part of the job. It has always felt, to Dummett, "a bit unnatural"

Taken during a photoshoot to accompany a matchday programme interview in 2017/18

Speaking to the local media at the Newcastle United Foundation's annual dinner

I remember that middle one - it was for the programme, wasn't it?

It's hard because you don't get told how to do interviews or what to say. There are a lot of generic answers when you're doing interviews on live TV. You've grown up playing football, then you get put in front of a camera and people expect you to just speak. Even now, people want you to send videos or happy birthday messages, and even though you understand that it means a lot to people, sometimes you don't feel comfortable doing things like that. People don't always understand - people just think because you're a footballer you should be able to do everything.

I didn't know this until I saw an interview with him a while ago, but (Leeds United defender) Luke Ayling has got a speech impediment. He said he doesn't like ordering like at a drive-thru. If someone asked him to do a video or a happy birthday and he didn't want to do it, they might think he was ***** or something - but really, he just might not feel comfortable doing it. Just because you're a football player, it doesn't mean you're comfortable doing things like that.

Sometimes you've got no choice - you have to do an interview. But as you go on, you listen to other people and you just get used to it, I think. I think it's about trying to be honest when you're speaking as well. It is tough when you get asked questions and you don't know what to say, even now. It's not a natural thing.

I always thought I was rubbish at interviews, but then in the past when I was playing I always used to get put forward to do them, because they said I was always a sensible one to speak to. You might think you're not good at them, but maybe you're alright!

When most questions are about football, it's easier and you can answer them. If you go to an event like that last photo, for a charity, they could have asked me all sorts - they could have asked me anything, and I might not have known what to say. I'm happy in the background though, really. It's easier being in the background.

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Earlier this summer, Dummett was handed a new one-year contract by Eddie Howe, taking him into his tenth season as a first team player at his boyhood club

This is massive milestone. I'm at the same stage I was when I was 21. I still have more to prove, and even though (Eddie Howe)'s told me he likes me and wants me involved, I still have more to prove to him to show that after this season I'm worth another contract. I feel like I'm back to that stage, being 21 years old, still having stuff to prove to the manager to show you deserve to be at the club.

But it is a big thing, a big achievement, to have had ten years playing in the first team at Newcastle. I grew up as a season ticket holder, and then got told I would never play for Newcastle in Alan Pardew's first team. So yeah, looking back, you'd never have thought I'd be at this stage, standing there with a new contract for my tenth year.

It's an exciting time for the whole club - you can see with the season ticket demand, the people queuing for tickets for the pre-season friendlies. Hopefully I can be involved as the club grows bigger and bigger. What the future might hold, I don't know, but it looks bright for the club. I want to be part of that for longer than just this season.