DOC'S NIFTY FIFTY

Doherty hails faith shown by ex-Ireland boss Kenny for saving international career

- GARRY DOYLE

MATT DOHERTY paid an emotional tribute to ex-Ireland boss Stephen Kenny last night for believing in him when no-one else did.

The Doc finally made it to the half-century mark against Bulgaria on Sunday night after a stop-start international career that at one stage looked over before it really began.

Martin O'Neill didn’t rate Doherty — certainly not as highly as Doherty rates himself — and Mick McCarthy was another Ireland boss who preferred Doc's right-back rival Seamus Coleman.

But when Kenny came in as Ireland boss, everything changed. All of a sudden Doherty was brought in from the fringes and became the main man.

And on Sunday, he got to cap No.50 at the grand old age of 33.

“I am very happy, very proud,” said Doherty. “It was something I was thinking about as I was getting closer, when I went past 45 caps, then you are not in a couple of camps and you think, will I get there?

“I started very late so to get 50 is something I am thrilled about and I have to give a shout out to the managers that helped me get there, Mick and Heimir but more importantly Stephen Kenny, he really believed in me from day one. I worked with a lot of managers in my time and he was the one that believed in me the most, played me through thick and thin no matter what it was, him and Keith Andrews.

“They deserve a lot of credit from me and I have already told them that.”