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John Doherty (English footballer) facts for kids

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John Doherty
Personal information
Date of birth (1935-03-12)12 March 1935
Place of birth Manchester, England
Date of death 13 November 2007(2007-11-13) (aged 72)
Playing position Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1952–1957 Manchester United
1957 Leicester City
Rugby Town
Altrincham
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

John Peter Doherty (born March 12, 1935 – died November 13, 2007) was an English footballer. He played as a forward, often in a position called "inside right." This meant he played between the main striker and the wingers. Doherty is best known for his time at Manchester United. He was part of the team that won a major league title.

John Doherty's Football Journey

Starting Strong at Manchester United

John Doherty was born in Manchester, England. He began his professional football career with Manchester United in 1952. He quickly became an important player for the team.

Doherty was part of the Manchester United squad that won the league title in the 1955–56 season. This was a big achievement for the club. He played in 26 games that season and scored seven goals.

Moving On to New Clubs

In October 1957, John Doherty moved from Manchester United. He was transferred to Leicester City for £6,500. This move happened just before a very sad event for Manchester United.

Eight of his former teammates tragically lost their lives in the Munich air disaster. John Doherty was in a hospital in Leicester at the time. He was having surgery on a knee injury when he heard the terrible news.

He only stayed at Leicester City for one season. His knee problems continued to bother him. After Leicester, he played for Rugby Town and then Altrincham.

Life After Playing Football

In 1958, John Doherty had a chance to become an assistant manager. Arsenal offered the manager job to Jimmy Murphy, who was Manchester United's assistant manager. Murphy then offered Doherty the chance to be his assistant. However, Murphy decided not to move to Arsenal, so this partnership never happened.

John Doherty remained involved with football. As of 2006, he was the chairman of the Former Manchester United Players Association. This group helps former players stay connected. He also helped write a book called The Insider's Guide to Manchester United. In this book, he shared his thoughts on over 300 United players from 1950 onwards.

He was also a key person behind a special friendly match. This game was played at Old Trafford in 1998. It helped raise money for the families of the Munich air disaster victims. This match marked the 40th anniversary of the tragedy.

John Doherty passed away in November 2007. He was 72 years old.

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