Gerard Doherty

Gerard Doherty (born 24 August 1981) is a Northern Irish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for NIFL Premiership side Crusaders.

For the American politician, see Gerard F. Doherty. For the British trade unionist, see Gerry Doherty.

Gerard Doherty
Personal information
Full name Gerard Doherty
Date of birth (1981-08-24) 24 August 1981
Place of birth Derry, Northern Ireland
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team
 Crusaders
Number 30
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–1999 Derry City 1 (0)
1999–2001 Derby County 0 (0)
2001–2007 The New Saints 233 (0)
2004 → Barry Town (loan) 2 (0)
2008–2018 Derry City 323 (0)
2018– Crusaders 6 (0)
National team
1999 Republic of Ireland U18 1 (0)
2011 League of Ireland XI 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10:06, 25 March 2019 (UTC)

Club career

Born in Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Doherty began his career with his hometown club, Derry City, making his debut as a 16-year-old in a league cup win against Irish side Sligo Rovers.[1] His potential alerted English outfit Derby County and they signed him in February 1999 for a fee of £30,000.[2] After failing to break into the Derby first-team and falling out with goalkeeping coach Eric Steele, Doherty left the club in the summer of 2001 and was offered a trial with La Liga side Valencia.[3] The trial was ultimately unsuccessful, and Doherty returned to the UK in November 2001 when he was signed by the Welsh Premier League team, The New Saints.

In six largely successful seasons at The Saints, Gerard won three league titles, one Welsh Cup, one League Cup, and one FAW Premier Cup, and played in six European ties, most notably against English sides Manchester City and Liverpool. Doherty performed particularly well in the two matches against Liverpool, winning plaudits from manager Rafael Benítez.[4]

Doherty re-signed for Derry City in January 2008. In his second spell at the club, Doherty has won the League of Ireland Cup twice, in 2008 and 2011, and also the League of Ireland First Division in 2010. His great form in 2011 was rewarded when he was named Airtricity/Soccer Writers' Association of Ireland Goalkeeper of the Year.[5]

International career

Doherty represented the Republic of Ireland once at under-18 level in September 1999, playing against Germany in a 0–0 friendly draw at Richmond Park.[6] However, his form for Derry City in the 2011 season prompted calls from his manager, Declan Devine, for Doherty to be called into the Northern Ireland squad.[7] Doherty received his first call-up for Northern Ireland prior to their friendly against Malta in February 2013, becoming the first Derry player to be included in a national squad since Niall McGinn against Hungary in 2008.[8]

Honours

Club

Total Network Solutions/The New Saints

Derry City

Crusaders

Individual
  • PFAI Premier Division Team of the Year: 2016[9]

References
  1. Three and easy for Derry Derry Journal. 17 August 1998. Arthur Duffy.
  2. Derry set to cash in on Ger Derry Journal. 11 February 1999. Arthur Duffy.
  3. Shock Spanish call for Derry 'keeper Derry Journal. 10 June 2001. Arthur Duffy.
  4. Benitez praises TNS hero Doherty walesonline.co.uk. 20 July 2005. Darren Devine.
  5. O'Neill's 2011 achievements are honoured RTÉ.ie. 13 January 2012.
  6. 2000 UEFA U-18 Championships FAI Under-18 News 30 September 1999.
  7. Derry City boss Devine baffled by Ger Doherty's lack of Northern Ireland caps Belfast Telegraph 19 January 2012. Aidan Fitzmaurice
  8. Derry City keeper Gerard Doherty added to Northern Ireland squad Sky Sports 3 February 2013.
  9. "Dundalk and Cork dominate PFAI team of the year". RTÉ Sport. rte.ie. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.