Seán Dillon (born 30 July 1983) is an Irish professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a defender for Montrose, where he is a player-coach. He previously played for
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
and Irish teams
Longford Town
Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally use ...
prior to joining Dundee United in January 2007 then Montrose in June 2017. He has represented the Republic of Ireland at under-16,
under-21 and B international level.
Club career
Dillon was a youth player with Aston Villa but moved back to Ireland in 2002 with
Longford Town
Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...
League of Ireland Cup
The League of Ireland Cup ( ga, Corn Sraithe na hÉireann), also referred to in Ireland as the 'League Cup', is an annual knockout competition in men's football in the Republic of Ireland. It is contested by League of Ireland clubs and invited c ...
during his four years at
Flancare Park
Strokestown Road, currently known as Bishopsgate for sponsorship purposes, is the name of a football stadium in Longford, Ireland which is the home of League of Ireland club Longford Town.
History
In the mid-1990s, Longford Town moved their ...
. In 2006, he moved to Shelbourne and helped them to their thirteenth league championship win, also scoring the only goal of the game in Shels'
Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from la, Inter, 'between' + german: toto, 'betting pool'),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. often abbreviated and more known in the German-speaking world as UI Cup and originally called the International Foo ...
win in Lithuania over
FK Vėtra
FK Vėtra was a Lithuanian football team from the capital city of Vilnius.
History
The club was founded in 1997 and was initially based in Rūdiškės, a settlement in Trakai district, and moved in 2003 to Vilnius city with the purchase of ...
. In January 2007, Dillon moved to Scottish side
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
for an undisclosed fee.
In March 2008 he collected a
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...
runners-up medal despite being an unused substitute in the final. However, on 15 May 2010, he was then a part of the Dundee United team who defeated Ross County 3–0 to lift the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Hampden Park.
Not long after the beginning of the 2012–13 season Dillon signed a contract extension that would keep him at the club until May 2015. He was then appointed
club captain
The team captain of an association football team, sometimes known as the skipper, is a team member chosen to be the on-pitch leader of the team; they are often one of the older or more experienced members of the squad, or a player that can heavi ...
by manager
Jackie McNamara
Jackie McNamara (born 24 October 1973) is a Scottish professional football agent, and former player, manager and executive. He won 33 international caps playing for Scotland, and filled a variety of defensive roles in his career.
McNamara beg ...
for the 2013–14 season.
On 30 June 2017, it was announced that Dillon had signed a two-year contract as a player-coach with Montrose. In the 2017–18 season Dillon didn’t miss a game, as the gable endies clinched the Scottish League 2 title by one point. In 2019, Dillon signed a contract extension keeping him at Montrose until summer 2021, with manager Stewart Petrie crediting him with having a "huge influence on the teams success" since his arrival. In December 2022, Dillon agreed a one-year extension with Montrose which would keep him with the ''Gable Endies'' until 2024.
International career
Dillon represented the Republic of Ireland Under-16 team at the
2000 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship
The 2000 UEFA European Under-16 Championship was the 18th edition of UEFA's European Under-16 Football Championship. Israel hosted the championship, during 1–14 May 2000. 16 teams entered the competition, and Portugal defeated the Czech Republi ...
2003 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in United Arab Emirates between 27 November and 19 December 2003. U20 Brazil claimed their fourth title. The 2003 championship was the 14th contested. The tournament was originally planned to be ...
, appearing as a substitute in the second round exit.
Dillon also represented the Republic of Ireland under-21 team on one occasion and played alongside United teammate Noel Hunt for the Ireland B team in October 2007 in a match against Scotland who included teammate Darren Dods.
League of Ireland Cup
The League of Ireland Cup ( ga, Corn Sraithe na hÉireann), also referred to in Ireland as the 'League Cup', is an annual knockout competition in men's football in the Republic of Ireland. It is contested by League of Ireland clubs and invited c ...
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally use ...
Scottish League Two
The Scottish League Two, known as cinch League Two for sponsorship reasons, is the fourth tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League Two was e ...