Kevin Doherty (born 18 April 1980) is an Irish association football coach and former professional player who is currently the manager of League of Ireland Premier Division club Drogheda United.
Despite further injury problems, he became an important player for Shels; collecting three Premier Division winner's medals and selection to the 2002–03 Professional Footballers' Association of Ireland (PFAI) Team of the Season.
After losing his place in the team during his fourth season at the club, Doherty was put on the transfer list ahead of the 2005 campaign.
After retiring from playing in 2010, Doherty began taking his coaching qualifications and working with youth teams at his first club Home Farm.
Following a lukewarm first season in charge, fan favourite Doherty resigned on 25 June 2016 following a poor run of form for the Reds, culminating in a 2-0 defeat at home to Waterford United.
[7] In May 1999, Doherty's progress was derailed by a broken femur sustained while playing for Ireland Under-18s against PSV Eindhoven's youth team.
[10] Valuing the opportunity to play competitive first-team football, he hoped to learn from experienced teammates Tony McCarthy, Jim Gannon and Peter Hutton.
[9] Doherty's early good form with Shelbourne saw him named League of Ireland Player of the Month in January 2002 and also earned him a call up to the national Under-21 team.
[14][15] He started Shelbourne's qualifying round UEFA Champions League match against Hibernians FC of Malta in July 2002,[16] only to re-injure his ribs and miss the second leg defeat.
[17] Doherty was briefly dropped from the team at the beginning of the 2002–03 season, after a poor performance in a 3–0 defeat by Cork City and an on-field argument with Shelbourne's new player-manager Pat Fenlon.
[citation needed] He recovered to take his place in the Professional Footballers' Association of Ireland (PFAI) Team of the Season.
[19] Two separate calf injuries kept him out for three months in 2004, reducing his role in the squad and leaving him hoping for a "cameo" in Shelbourne's European campaign.
[27] In January 2002, Don Givens called up Doherty to a training camp for the Republic of Ireland under-21 team at Bisham Abbey.