The Irishman is back at Molineux, looking to continue his Wolves legacy, built on 302 appearances in old gold.
Now, we take a journey back in time through ten special years at Molineux for the full-back.
August 2010 | Signing for Wolves
The Wolves journey began way back in the summer of 2010 for Doherty, who caught the eye of Mick McCarthy is a pre-season friendly for Bohemians. Following in the footsteps of Stephen Ward, later that summer the promising youngster made his move to Molineux and quickly linked up with the Old Gold’s first-team.
January 2011 | Debut day at Doncaster
Five months after his arrival, 19-year-old Doherty made his Wolves debut in a classic third round FA Cup tie at Doncaster Rovers. The Irishman played the full 90 as ten-man Wolves were held to a 2-2 draw by the Championship side – his only appearance during a first year of becoming accustomed to English football for the youngster.
September 2011 | Premier League bow
A handful of League Cup appearances led to the Premier League nod off the bench from Mick McCarthy. The Irishman played the second half of a match which Wolves staged a second half comeback but were eventually beaten 2-1. Eight years then followed before Doherty was handed his second appearance in the top flight.
August 2013 | First goal feeling
Doherty’s first goal for Wolves was a late one – a theme of his time in Old Gold. The defender popped up at the back post five minutes from time to earn victory at Bristol City, as Wolves began their assault on League One. A regular during the first part of the campaign, Doherty was finding his feet under Kenny Jackett.
April 2014 | Promotion from League One
Promotion followed later that season, as Doherty earned a first piece of silverware with the League One title. A 20-game season saw Doherty end his period of loans with Hibernian and Bury away, and become more established at Compton Park. Wolves were rejuvenated under Jackett and back in the second tier.
March 2015 | Feet finally found
Back in the second tier, it was time for Doherty to become an established member of Wolves’ first-team. As the Old Gold reacquainted themselves with the Championship, Doherty turned out 36 times to good effect. In a 3-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in March 2015, the Irishman provided a pair of assists as Wolves finished seventh that year, narrowly missing out on the play-offs.
January 2016 | Goal of the Season
Showing his versatility, Doherty was regularly moved from right to left, but it was from a central position, 35 yards from goal, where he hit arguably his finest Wolves goal from. As Fulham cleared a Wolves free-kick, the danger appeared gone, but the Irishman ran on to the loose ball and arrowed an effort into the bottom corner. Two months later it was voted the Goal of the Season.
May 2016 | Clean sweep
By the end of the 2015/16 season, Doherty had become indispensable to the Old Gold and that was reflected in his performance at the End of Season awards. The full-back was a triple winner, claiming the Player of the Season awards from both supporters and his colleagues, along with the Goal of the Season honour. An impressive showing before the arrival of Fosun.
March 2017 | A big goal
Fosun’s debut season at Wolves failed to bring instant success, but on a night at Griffin Park, Doherty helped ensure it was damage limitation. In the closing stages against Brentford, with Wolves one point above the drop zone, the full-back knocked home a crucial equaliser, which led to a late win and set the Old Gold on their way to survival, and promotion the following year.
November 2017 | The Nuno effect
The arrival of Nuno Espirito Santo transformed both Wolves and Doherty. Now a right-wing-back, the Irishman was a constant menace in the attacking box, and as the Old Gold regularly won, he was always involved. Doherty bagged in a big away with at Reading – one of four goals he scored in the 2017/18 season.
March 2018 | The international scene
Form for club led to an international debut in March 2018. The full-back came off the bench for a friendly in Turkey for the first of 36 caps he’s picked up to date. The now Wolves man continues to play regularly for his country, who are currently amidst a Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
April 2018 | Back in the big time
Having played an integral role in Wolves’ Championship-winning season, Doherty was heading back to the Premier League. The Irishman missed just once match through suspension across the campaign and was back in the top flight on merit.
September 2018 | PFA honour
Wolves attacked the Premier League fearlessly and Doherty continued to be a key cog. The Irishman provided goals for Raul Jimenez and Jonny in September, leading to him being voted the PFA Player of the Month over fellow top flight stars.
October 2018 | A match winner
Assists turned to goals in October and Doherty scored his first ever Premier League goal. Having exchanged passes with Jimenez, the wing-back fired home the winner at Selhurst Park to continue a fine start to the season for club and player.
December 2018 | At the death
Wolves were making a habit of injury time strikes and it was the case again at St James’ Park. With time running out and the score level, Doherty gambled at the back post and headed in a last-minute winner to earn a big three points on the road.
April 2019 | Under the arch
On a rare afternoon of disappointment under Nuno’s reign, Doherty was a goal scorer at Wembley. Wolves’ journey to the semi-finals of the FA Cup was special, and the Irishman scored and assisted against Watford, before the Hornets came back to deny Wolves a first cup final since 1960. Sadly, a day to forget for the Old Gold, but Doherty contributed once again.
August 2019 | European debut
Wolves had waited 39 years for the return of European football, so as the Old Gold faced FC Pyunik in Yerevan, Doherty was handed his first appearance on the continent. In a routine win for the visitors, the wing-back scored the first of eight goals against their Armenian opponents, during the early stages of a thrilling European adventure.
December 2019 | A special night
The greatest night in Doherty’s Wolves career? On a famous evening under the Molineux lights, the Old Gold stormed back from two goals down against champions Manchester City. With one minute remaining, up stepped Doherty to come inside and roll into the bottom corner to lift the roof off the South Bank to earn a famous 3-2 win.
March 2020 | One last goal
On the cusp of lockdown football, Wolves chalked up one last memorable win on the road. With what proved his final goal for the club, or so he thought, Doherty netted the equaliser against the club he’d later join. The Irishman then set up Diogo Jota for the second, before Raul Jimenez won it – yet another big afternoon for the Old Gold.
August 2020 | The final bow
Matchday 302 was the most important of the lot for Doherty, as Wolves took on Sevilla in the quarter final of the Europa League. After an incredible journey, Wolves bowed out to a late goal, and with that went chapter one of Irishman’s time in Old Gold. He departed for Spurs soon after, only to return this summer, ready to continue the story.
Built with Shorthand
