Latest news with #GregDocherty
Daily Record
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Greg Docherty opens up on 'so hard' Rangers exit as crowning Wembley moment makes it all worthwhile
The midfielder skippered Charlton to glory in the League One play off final last weekend From rejection at Rangers to redemption at Wembley. Greg Docherty feared his career had reached an early peak after being overlooked at Ibrox. But now the captain of Charlton is looking to go up and up again after leading his London side out of League One and back into the Championship down south. The former Hamilton kid has had a couple of bumps on the road on the journey that took him to last Sunday's play-off triumph against Leyton Orient. As diligent and hard-working as they come, the 28-year-old's impressive commitment levels in the end did him no favours at the two clubs he served before moving to the Valley last summer. At Ibrox, former gaffer Steven Gerrard was a huge fan of the way Docherty went about his work on a daily basis. And that's why he was reluctant to let him leave, even when he had the likes of Ryan Jack and Steven Davis blocking Doch's path to the Rangers midfield. The same story emerged last year at Hull as Docherty found his minutes on the wane. But he's now found a home at last in the engine room of Nathan Jones' promotion winning Addicks outfit - and now he hopes they could be on the move again … this time to the Premier League. Looking back on his Ibrox exit, Docherty told MailSport: 'It was so hard. 'Obviously hindsight's a wonderful thing. I'm older now and heading into the middle part of my career. 'Would I change a few things? Of course I would, of course I'd maybe do things differently. 'But you do what you think's right at the time and when I was at Rangers I know I gave everything every single day. 'But it's tough in those situations, when you think you're fighting a losing battle. The hamster wheel's never ending and you can't get the opportunity you need. 'It's easy for me to say this now as I'm in such a good place here at Charlton, but you really do have to stand by your beliefs and cling to the hope things will get better. 'Even when I was at Hull, I stayed probably a year or two longer than I should have. 'I wanted to leave this summer before I did. I could see what was coming with my game time reducing. But I was caught under the same bracket I was at Rangers. 'I was classed as someone who'd always give everything — but that held me back because they didn't want to let me go. 'I wasn't playing regularly but was kept on in just in case I was needed. 'But here at Charlton, I'm in a much better place. 'I'm captain of a Championship club that wants to keep on progressing. 'It's up to us as players and staff to do that, but it really feels like I'm at a club that is going places now.' Docherty grew up a boyhood Bluenose, barely a goal-kick away from the club's Auchenhowie training base. But it stung to quit the club he loved just as Gerrard's team were finally on the brink of something special. 'It felt like my career had taken a right dunt leaving Rangers,' he admitted. 'But I could see how strong Rangers were getting. It was the season they won the league. I remember thinking, I'd have loved to have been involved in that but I didn't realistically see myself playing a real part. 'So that's why I pushed to go to Hull. I knew I could be part of a team that would compete and thankfully I helped them win League One that season.' And Docherty has been central to Charlton's success this term too. The former Scotland Under-21 ace admits he had some teething troubles transitioning to life in London with his young family. But once he found his feet, it's been a steady rise for both himself and his team. Charlton found themselves trapped in mid-table for much of the campaign but a late run from March onwards saw the Red Robins finally burst their way into the play-off hunt - culminating in Saturday's 1-0 win over the Orient under the Wembley arch. 'Honestly it was just pure euphoria,' said Docherty looking back on the celebrations. 'The whole day seemed to go by in a flash, even with the 11 minutes of added-on time! 'I didn't know what to do at the full-time whistle. The feeling was a mixture of euphoria, relief, sheer elation that we're just getting back into the Championship again. Just such a good feeling. 'Winning at Wembley is incredible, it's the stuff boyhood dreams are made of. 'I love Hampden, I've always been a big fan of it. I sat and watched the Scottish Cup final on the Saturday and thought Hampden looked great being so full. 'But then I realised I'd be playing in a crowd that was pretty much double that the next day. 'During the game they announced the attendance as 75,000, which was just mental. 'It's easily the biggest crowd I'd ever played in front of and it just shows the size of Charlton as a club. 'The demand for tickets was ridiculous, we had over 40,000 in there and it would have been 50,000 if they'd found the extra tickets for us. 'This is a proper, proper football club. 'When I joined in the summer, the manager believed we could get to this point where we get promoted. 'I'm sure he will now look to add to the squad. 'We're an attractive proposition, a big club in London that's back in the Championship. It's going to be a massive thing going forward. It's just such an exciting time. 'The manager said after the game, that even though we're in League One, we're all striving to get to the Premier League. Nothing will change next year other than we're a league closer. 'The level goes up massively, the quality, I've experienced it with Hull. 'But as long as we've got an identity that we stick to, I think we can give it a right go.'
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Charlton seal Championship return with Wembley win over Leyton Orient
Macaulay Gillesphey struck the only goal of the game to beat Leyton Orient in the League One play-off final and send Charlton Athletic back into the Championship after a gap of five years to the delight of their 40,000 fans in a crowd of 76,193. No-nonsense defending from both sides led to a scrappy opening period with goal opportunities at a premium. It took 31 minutes for the game to spark into life but the wait was worth it with a sublimely executed free-kick by Gillesphey breaking the deadlock. Tyreece Campbell, always a threat, was fouled outside the penalty box and Gillesphey curled his set-piece delivery from 20 yards past the wall and wide of Orient keeper Josh Keeley who got his fingers to the ball but could not prevent it from nestling into the net. Charlton enjoyed the better of the possession in the first half whilst nervy Orient struggled to impose themselves on the game and the Addicks looked more comfortable on the ball. Campbell and skipper Greg Docherty exchanged passes in a potentially threatening move but Campbell's weak cross was comfortably collected by Keeley while Orient provided little concerns for Addicks shot-stopper Will Mannion. The teams came into the match in a rich vein of form, each having only tasted defeat once in each of their last 10 matches. The Addicks completed the scheduled league season in fourth spot, seven points ahead of the O's whose run of six successive victories at the death earned them the final play-off position. Orient raised their tempo in the second half, taking the game to their opponents from the restart. Jack Currie sent in a powerful drive that was deflected for a corner and then League One's leading scorer Charlie Kelman saw his goal-bound drive deflected onto the crossbar. Then Jamie Donley was brought down on the edge of the penalty area but his resultant free-kick was blocked by the resolute Charlton defence. Keeley kept Orient in the game when he dealt with an effort from Conor Coventry before he tipped a well-struck effort from substitute Chuks Aneke over the bar but Orient kept pushing forward in search of the equaliser. However, a combination of a lack of quality to their final touch and pass and the well-drilled determined unwavering steely defending of their opponents for whom Lloyd Jones was outstanding proved too much to overcome. The return to the second tier of English football was a triumph for Charlton boss Nathan Jones. He had led Luton to a promotion and can now add Charlton to his list of successes having taken over as boss of the club in February 2024.
The Independent
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Charlton seal Championship return with Wembley win over Leyton Orient
Macaulay Gillesphey struck the only goal of the game to beat Leyton Orient in the League One play-off final and send Charlton Athletic back into the Championship after a gap of five years to the delight of their 40,000 fans in a crowd of 76,193. No-nonsense defending from both sides led to a scrappy opening period with goal opportunities at a premium. It took 31 minutes for the game to spark into life but the wait was worth it with a sublimely executed free-kick by Gillesphey breaking the deadlock. Tyreece Campbell, always a threat, was fouled outside the penalty box and Gillesphey curled his set-piece delivery from 20 yards past the wall and wide of Orient keeper Josh Keeley who got his fingers to the ball but could not prevent it from nestling into the net. Charlton enjoyed the better of the possession in the first half whilst nervy Orient struggled to impose themselves on the game and the Addicks looked more comfortable on the ball. Campbell and skipper Greg Docherty exchanged passes in a potentially threatening move but Campbell's weak cross was comfortably collected by Keeley while Orient provided little concerns for Addicks shot-stopper Will Mannion. The teams came into the match in a rich vein of form, each having only tasted defeat once in each of their last 10 matches. The Addicks completed the scheduled league season in fourth spot, seven points ahead of the O's whose run of six successive victories at the death earned them the final play-off position. Orient raised their tempo in the second half, taking the game to their opponents from the restart. Jack Currie sent in a powerful drive that was deflected for a corner and then League One's leading scorer Charlie Kelman saw his goal-bound drive deflected onto the crossbar. Then Jamie Donley was brought down on the edge of the penalty area but his resultant free-kick was blocked by the resolute Charlton defence. Keeley kept Orient in the game when he dealt with an effort from Conor Coventry before he tipped a well-struck effort from substitute Chuks Aneke over the bar but Orient kept pushing forward in search of the equaliser. However, a combination of a lack of quality to their final touch and pass and the well-drilled determined unwavering steely defending of their opponents for whom Lloyd Jones was outstanding proved too much to overcome. The return to the second tier of English football was a triumph for Charlton boss Nathan Jones. He had twice led Luton to promotions and can now add Charlton to his list of successes having taken over as boss of the club in February 2024.
The Sun
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
I'm a League One star targeting Wembley glory with Charlton in play-off final – but I'm also training to be a PILOT
WILL MANNION has been training to become an aeroplane pilot. And the keeper hopes his Charlton team will be flying in tomorrow's play-off final against Leyton Orient - before landing a place in the Championship. 3 The 27-year-old has already done 15 hours of flying lessons and is a third of the way through being able to fly solo. Mannion told SunSport: "I was 14 when I took my first lesson. It was something I was going to do properly if football didn't work but thankfully it did. "Now it's something I want to do after football. I'm going to do more lessons so I can get my Private Pilot Licence in the next couple of years. "I've been flying Cessna 172 planes, which are like a four-seater washing machine with wings! I've got a fair way to go yet. "When I was at my last club Cambridge, I flew out of RAF Duxford, which was awesome because you would have Spitfires taking off in front of you! "It's hard to describe the feeling of flying a plane. I would liken it to riding a bike in the sky! "It's intuitive when you're up there with the controls. "It's not as scary as people think. It's fun, especially when taking off and landing. "Although taking off and landing are the two hardest things because that is where things can most likely go wrong. "But I'm never frightened, you just have to know what you're doing. Ex-Rangers star Greg Docherty sends message to his dad following Charlton Play-Off semi-final victory "The plan is to get more lessons locally. Biggin Hill isn't too far away so will probably fly out of there." Mannion cannot pinpoint why he fell in love with aviation but he then took it up in case a football career did not pan out. And now he is contemplating a career in the sky when his days in football are over. He added: "The next stage for me is to go out solo. I've got to do around 45 hours to get my licence. "The great thing is it's not something you need to do by a certain deadline, you can just chip away at it in your own time. It was something I was going to do properly if football didn't work but thankfully it did. Will Mannion "There are various exams — theory and practical — you must do. Then I can be in a position to just take a plane out for leisure at the weekend or on my days off. "But that is only the first stage. "There are quite a few more exams before you can fly a plane for easyJet. "At this stage I don't know how far I'd go with it but might consider working in the commercial airline industry one day!" Back on the ground, Charlton have the chance to return to the Championship after five years stuck in League One. Mannion has played a crucial role in helping the Addicks reach this Wembley final - having kept a club-record TWENTY-FIVE clean sheets this season. Not bad for a keeper who only joined last summer from Cambridge. He said: "To have played in as many games, finish fourth, play like we have as a team and keep as many clean sheets has been massive. "It's not something I predicted when I came but as the season progressed you could see we were a solid defensive unit and it paid off in terms of our league position and reaching a Wembley play-off final. It will be surreal but it's just another game. We cannot afford to get carried away by the occasion and romance of it. Mannion on Wembley "The clean sheets aren't just down to me. It starts from the front in terms of how we play, we're a high-pressing team. "That transcends throughout the team. "The lads in front of me have been outstanding all season. They've limited what I've had to do to a minimum." Mannion is establishing himself as a No 1 after a lot of years doing the hard yards. He was a young pro at Hull - rubbing shoulders with the likes of Harry Maguire, Jarrod Bowen and Andy Robertson - after being signed by Steve Bruce. He had loan spells in non-league with Aldershot and Kidderminster before a season with Cypriot team Pathos having struggled to find a club at home. 3 He said: "It was during the Covid spell. I couldn't even find a club to look at me, never mind sign me. So I had this opportunity to go abroad and I gave it go. "As a life experience it was good to see a different culture - although on the football side I didn't get a lot of opportunities.' A move to Cambridge brought 29 League One appearances over three years before what has turned out to be his best season yet at the Addicks. Mannion has only previously been to Wembley as a spectator — watching Crystal Palace beat Watford in the 2013 Championship play-off final and the 2009 FA Cup final when Chelsea saw off Everton 2-1. He said: "It's one thing imagining yourself playing there and quite another actually thinking you will play there. "It will be surreal but it's just another game. We cannot afford to get carried away by the occasion and romance of it. "We've one more game to achieve what we set out to do - win promotion."
Scottish Sun
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Ex-Rangers star sends message to his dad live on TV as he books Wembley trip
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WITH regular seasons ending across the country, play-offs are sweeping the nation. Livingston host Partick Thistle tonight to see who will face the Premiership's second-bottom side in a battle for a place in next season's top tier. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 3 Greg Docherty's Charlton Athletic have reached a play-off final Credit: Getty 3 The midfielder used to play for Rangers Credit: PA 3 He had a message for his father Credit: Sky Sports Football Sheffield United will play Sunderland for a Premier League position after an injury time of extra time goal for the Black Cats saw them through to the final. But it's the fight to see who might move up from EFL League One to the Championship that's produced a message from an ex-Rangers star to his old man. Greg Docherty, who moved to Ibrox from Hamilton in 2018, faces a huge fixture against Leyton Orient next Sunday for his current club Charlton Athletic. Over a two-legged tie against Wycombe Wanderers, fourth place finishers Charlton progressed by an aggregate score line of just 1-0. For the sixth placed O's to reach the final however it was 3-3 and an eventual win on penalties against Stockport. Matt Godden grabbed the goal that guaranteed Docherty's trip to Wembley but the Milngavie man played a key part in getting there too. The former Accie played almost 50 games this season for the club and acted as captain in most of them after joining from Hull City last summer. In the Sky Sports post-match interview when their date with destiny was confirmed, Docherty said: "Dad, it's your birthday on the 25th, so make sure you cancel your plans and get your flight booked. We're going to Wembley!" The winner of the final will join Birmingham and Wrexham in England's second tier next campaign. The Blues were runaway league winners finishing with an incredible tally of 111 points and a goal difference of +53. 'Knew the camera was on him' - Fans divided by Nathan Jones' antics as he kneels down and PRAYS before final whistle They've been linked with a big money move to keep their Gers loanees Kieran Dowell and Ben Davies, and were also helped over the line by former Celtic man Tomoki Iwata and Scotland star Lyndon Dykes. Hollywood star owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's Wrexham dream is continuing as they're now just one step from the very top of the pyramid. But they'll be going up without 38-year-old ex-Scotland international Steven Fletcher, who announced that he was departing 'not by choice'. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
