Josh Doherty


Joshua Edward Doherty is a Northern Irish footballer who plays as a full back for club Crawley Town. He started his senior career at Watford before joining Leyton Orient in 2016. After a loan spell at Altrincham, he left by mutual consent in January 2017 and joined Ards. He joined his current club, Crawley Town, in September 2017. He has also played for Northern Ireland at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels.

Club career

A Watford youth products graduate, Doherty signed his first scholarships with the club in April 2012. Doherty made his debut on 3 May 2014, coming on as a substitute in the 80th minute in the 4–1 defeat against Huddersfield Town. On 14 May 2014, Doherty signed his first professional contract after completing his scholarship. However, his first team chances was soon limited, as well as, the club's reserve no longer available. On 3 June 2016, it was announced that Doherty would leave Watford upon his contract expiry.
On 6 June 2016, Doherty joined League Two side Leyton Orient on a one-year deal. On 13 September, Doherty joined National League North side Altrincham on a month's loan. He was released by the club on 3 January 2017, having failed to make an appearance for the club.
After his release from Leyton Orient, Doherty returned to Northern Ireland to sign for hometown club Ards on a short-term deal. A month later, he made his debut during their 3–0 away victory over Portadown, featuring for 64 minutes before being replaced by David McCullough. Doherty went onto feature seven more times before leaving at the end of his contract in June 2017.
On 5 September 2017, it was announced that Doherty had joined League Two side Crawley Town. Four days later, he made his debut during Crawley's 3–1 away defeat against Colchester United, replacing Mark Randall in the 64th minute. In Crawley's following fixture, against Stevenage, Doherty was rewarded with his first start under manager, Harry Kewell and went onto feature for 60 minutes in the 1–1 draw. On 2 May 2018, after an impressive debut season, Doherty was rewarded with a new two-year deal running until 2020. Doherty made 18 appearances across the 2018–19 season, whilst he made 31 appearances for the club during 2019–20. In June 2020, Doherty signed a one-year contract extension with the club.

International career

Doherty has represented Northern Ireland at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level.

Career statistics