TESTIMONY FROM THE dOC

Doherty sings Kenny's praises after cap milestone

- GARRY DOYLE

MATT DOHERTY paid 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 halfcentury mark 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, and Mick McCarthy was another Irish boss who preferred Seamus Coleman.

But when Stephen Kenny came in as Ireland boss, everything changed, and on Sunday, against Bulgaria, he got to cap No50 at the grand old age of 33.

Doherty said: "I am very happy, very proud, it was something I was thinking about as I was getting closer, when I went past 45 caps, then you are not in 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've 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.