JOHN DOHERTYJohn Doherty, who died on 13 November, 2007, was a footballer for Manchester United whose promising career was cut short at 23.He was one of the famous ‘Busby Babes’, a group of exceptional players that also included Duncan Edwards, Bobby Charlton and Dennis Viollet, who emerged through the ranks at Old Trafford to take the League title in 1956.However, persistent knee injuries forced him to leave the club the following year. It was a peculiar twist of fate for, were it not for his injuries, he would almost certainly have been among those killed in the Munich Air Disaster in 1958.John Herbert Doherty was born in Manchester on 12 March, 1935. Having impressed at schoolboy level he was drafted into Manchester United at the age of 15, despite growing up a City supporter. He signed professional terms after a two-year apprenticeship.Withi n a year he was part of the first team, in spite of stiff competition from the wealth of young talent manager Matt Busby was blessed with. However, even in these early days he was hampered by injuries – hurt in the semi-final of the FA Youth Cup, he faced a long struggle to get back to fitness.With his footballing hopes seemingly in tatters he enlisted in the RAF but was shortly dismissed as unfit for duty. Remarkably, he surprised everyone at Manchester United by working his way back into contention and was a regular feature at inside-forward during their Championship-winning season.At his physical peak, Doherty was a fantastic player with great skill and passing ability, a lethal shot and a sharp footballing-brain. On his day he could rival Charlton as United’s most threatening player.But just when a glorious future seemed to be beckoning, injury struck again. After just 26 appearances (in which he had scored seven goals), Doherty’s Manchester United career was effectively over. He continued to battle for fitness but was eventually sold to Leicester City in 1957.After a promising start, he once again succumbed to knee problems. He was in hospital when he learned that eight of his former team-mates and friends were among the 23 dead in a plane crash in Germany after a European Cup tie in February 1958.Shortly afterwards he was told his professional footballing career was over and took up a player-management role at Rugby Town. He almost landed a lucrative position when United assistant manager Jimmy Murphy was being lined up as the new Arsenal manager. Murphy approached Doherty to provisionally offer him the position of his deputy, but in the end Murphy decided to stay with United.Doherty had spells with several non-league sides before becoming a financier in the 1960s. He scouted for Burnley during the ’80s. Very much a reformed Blue, he came to have a great love for Manchester’s Red side, writing candid books about the club and its players and founding the Association of Former Manchester United Players.Former United player and friend Pat Crerand said: "He was a great lad and a big United fan. He was always at the games at Old Trafford and obviously had the history of playing for the club. One of the great things about him was the fantastic work he did for the former players."Though he was undoubtedly denied a great career, Doherty remained philosophical about his fortunes, saying: “I grew up making my living by playing a game, then I went on to a gloriously happy family life, while lots of my mates were dead before their time. What's to complain about?"He was married and had a son and a daughter. He died at his home in Heald Green, Cheshire, aged 72.
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