The Heysel Disaster in 1985 was on his watch when English clubs were banned from European competitions and on the country's return to Europe he persuaded Margaret Thatcher to abandon an ID scheme for use at matches with computerised turnstiles. He was also on the FA Executive Committee to discuss the Hillsborough Disaster.
His first involvement with football was as chairman at Fourth Division, Brentford FC. At this time the club was struggling and Dunnett moved to merge the club with Jim Gregory's QPR. Appalled by the prospect of losing their club's independence, local business men stepped up and with supporters bought Dunnett out. Dunnett then moved on to secure the finances of Notts County FC.
As chairman of Notts County he managed the club's finances, organised investors and saw the club rise from the Four Division to the First in barely 10 years. As a local MP in Nottingham, he was a key figure in the city's political fortunes. Meeting people at games and holding clinics in local pubs enabled him to win 6 elections. he had the common touch.
In his two decades at Meadow Lane, he appointed Jimmy Sirrel as manager and the charismatic Scot took County to the Second Division by 1973 and then Sirrel moved on to Sheffield United in 1975, only to return, transforming the County side into a First Division unit by the end of the 1980-1 season.
A Scot, whose family moved south when he was a schoolboy, Dunnett was schooled at Whitgift in Surrey and read Law at Cambridge. War came and he left his studies serving in the Royal Fusiliers and Cheshire Regt. After the war he returned to Cambridge, qualified as a Lawyer and set up his own practice in Mayfair. Success on the property market gave him enough assets to become a name at Lloyds in 1968.
He joined the Labour Party in 1949 and served on various councils, being elected to the GLC in 1964.
He made time to meet his public and worked hard to ensure that local schoolchildren and factory workers were part of his daily routine of visits, before meeting locals in the football club or in local pubs where he heard their problems. He amused locals by driving daily into the Notts County car park in his Rolls Royce or at the local election time, steering an old Ford Capri, with a megaphone on the bonnet.
He insisted, at election time, that the County players would canvas on behalf of his party, door to door. One player, Les Bradd, Notts County's highest goalscorer (398 apps/ 125 goals) , another Scot, was brought up a "Blue" so he did his own thing supporting the Tories, canvassing on street corners.
Dunnett with club captain Bobby Ross in 1967 at the "start"in Division 4.When County player, Alex Gibson retired from the club, it looked as though he would end up working in the city market, but Dunnett rescued him by hiring him as his driver, so Alex sat behind the wheel of the Rolls was many years.
In 1987, Dunnett stood down as director of County, with the club in debt, he left them a Lifeline fundraising scheme where fans pay in £2 a week with the prospect of cash prizes. It still runs today.
Notts County have played more league games than any other club. Remember they were the first professional club founded in England. They are now in the National League (for a while)!
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