Matt Doherty (Northern Irish footballer)
Matt Doherty Sr. was a Northern Irish professional footballer and manager of Derry City.
Career
Doherty, a dynamic half-back celebrated for his nimble footwork and precise passing, emerged as one of Derry City's early luminaries. His tenure at the Brandywell saw him clinch coveted winner's medals in both the City Cup and North-West Cup. Notably, he graced the pitch in Derry's valiant but ultimately unsuccessful 0–2 bout against Linfield in the 1935–36 Irish Cup final. In a near-miss bid for glory in 1937–38, Doherty nearly steered the club to their maiden league title, only to succumb to Belfast Celtic in a hard-fought 1–3 defeat in a crucial title-deciding rematch.
The 1937–38 season stood as a pinnacle in Doherty's career, earning him selection for both Ireland and the Irish League XI.[1] His talents drew the attention of Burnley, who made a substantial £1,000 offer in September 1937, narrowly avoided due to Derry's refusal. However, in 1941, he bid farewell to the Brandywell, embarking on a new chapter with Shamrock Rovers in the League of Ireland,[2] in which he featured in three League of Ireland XI matches while at Glenmalure Park. Despite his departure, Doherty returned to Derry following World War II, ultimately clinching victory in the 1948–49 Irish Cup against Glentoran.[3]
Beyond his prowess on the field, Doherty briefly assumed managerial duties for the club from late 1959 to the culmination of the 1960–61 Irish League season. Notably, he passed on his footballing legacy to his son, Matt Jr., who later donned the jersey for Derry City.[1]
Honours
References
- ^ a b Matt Doherty Jnr at the Wayback Machine (archived 26 June 2007)
- ^ "Matthew Doherty Sr". worldfootball.net.
- ^ "Obituary: Matt Doherty". Glentoran F.C. 17 July 2019.
External links
- Matt Doherty at National-Football-Teams.com
- Matt Doherty at WorldFootball.net
- Webarchive template wayback links
- Articles with short description
- Short description matches Wikidata
- Use dmy dates from March 2020
- EngvarB from March 2020
- NFT template with ID not in Wikidata
- WorldFootball.net template with ID not in Wikidata
- Men's association footballers from Northern Ireland
- Men's association football midfielders
- Pre-1950 IFA men's international footballers
- Derry City F.C. players
- Shamrock Rovers F.C. players
- League of Ireland players
- Derry City F.C. managers
- Year of birth missing
- League of Ireland XI players
- 20th-century births
- 20th-century deaths
- Irish League representative players
- Men's association football wing halves
- Association football managers from Northern Ireland