Aaron Brian Doran Cogan (born 13 May 1991), known as Aaron Doran, is an Irish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as a winger for

Scottish Championship The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish Champio ...

club

Inverness Caledonian Thistle Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team currently competes in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional ...

. He previously played at

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

, from where he spent time on loan with

Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...

and

Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a profession ...

. He has also represented the Republic of Ireland U21 team.

Career

Blackburn Rovers

Doran signed his first professional contract with

in May 2008. He was involved in 2008–09 pre-season matches against

Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was wound-up after a High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 ...

and NAC Breda, and was given the squad number 39 by manager

Paul Ince Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince (; born 21 October 1967) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the current manager of EFL Championship side Reading. A former midfielder, Ince played professionally from 1982 to 2007, st ...

. He made his first-team debut as a substitute for

Aaron Mokoena Teboho Aaron Mokoena (born 25 November 1980), known as Aaron Mokoena, is a South African former footballer. He is currently the assistant coach of Cape Town City. Club career Early career Mokoena was born in Boipatong. He moved to Bayer Leve ...

against

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

on 11 April 2009. In October 2009 he was signed by

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

club

on a month's loan deal, On his debut for MK Dons he scored his first professional goal against

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...

in a

Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...

tie. In February 2010, he signed for

on-loan for a month. Doran made his debut for Orient in a 2–0 loss against Gillingham. Having played two games, he emphasized that he was keen to stay at the club for another month. In a 2–0 win over

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is th ...

on 13 March 2010, Doran set up a goal for

Sean Thornton Sean Thornton (born 18 May 1983) is a former professional footballer. He made 11 appearances in the Premier League for Sunderland in the 2002–03 season and has made over 200 appearances in the Football League, mostly for Sunderland, Doncast ...

. On 29 March 2010, it was announced that Doran would return to Blackburn Rovers at the end of his loan. His final appearance for Orient came during a 2–0 loss against

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...

. Blackburn manager

Sam Allardyce Samuel Allardyce (; born 19 October 1954), colloquially referred to as Big Sam, is an English football manager and former professional player. Allardyce made 578 league and cup appearances in a 21-year career spent mostly in the Football Lea ...

stated in October 2010 that he felt Doran had "gone backwards" since emerging as a "tremendous prospect", though Allardyce also suggested, in the same interview, that the player still had time to develop. However, he chose not to select Doran for first-team squad involvement. After Allardyce was removed from his position by Rovers' new owners,

Venkys The V H Group is an Indian conglomerate primarily comprising companies related to the poultry industry, including processed food, animal vaccines, human and animal pharmaceutical and healthcare products. It was founded as Venkateshwara Hatcheries ...

, Steve Kean listed Doran as a substitute in his first game as Blackburn's new manager.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle

On 25 January 2011, Doran signed for

on-loan for the final six months of the 2010–11 SPL season. Inverness manager,

Terry Butcher Terry Ian Butcher (born 28 December 1958) is an English football manager and former player. He works as an academy coach for Ipswich Town. During his playing career as a defender, Butcher captained the England national team, winning 77 caps ...

, likened him to former Watford footballer

Nigel Callaghan Nigel Ian Callaghan (born 12 September 1962) is a former professional footballer. Playing career Callaghan played on the right-wing for a number of clubs including; Watford, Derby County and Aston Villa. Internationally, he represented Englan ...

, suggesting that Doran was part of a wider re-emergence of technically gifted footballers at the top level of British football. He made his debut the day after signing his loan deal, coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute for Stuart Duff in a 2–0 defeat at home to

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

. On his first club start, Doran helped Inverness beat

Morton Morton may refer to: People * Morton (surname) * Morton (given name) Fictional * Morton Koopa, Jr., a character and boss in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' * A character in the ''Charlie and Lola'' franchise * A character in the 2008 film '' Horton H ...

5–1 to reach the quarter-finals of the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,St Mirren. His second goal came during a 1–1 draw against Hearts on 16 April 2011, followed up scoring in the next game – a 3–0 win over St Johnstone on 25 April 2011. On 13 July 2011, it was announced that Doran had agreed a deal to join Inverness Caledonian Thistle permanently. He played his first match as a signed player, coming on as a substitute, in the opening game of the 2011–12 season against Hibernian. Playing a game against Kilmarnock, Doran suffered a dislocated shoulder, ruling him out for three months. On 28 December 2011, he was again injured, playing his first match back since his shoulder injury. He didn't play again until mid-April 2012, when he made his return in a 2–0 loss against

. He did however, remain free from any further problems with his shoulder. The following season,

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, Doran set up a goal for

Nick Ross Nicholas David Ross (born 7 August 1947) is a British radio and television presenter. During the 1980s and 1990s he was one of the most ubiquitous of British broadcasters but is best known for hosting the BBC TV programme ''Crimewatch'', whi ...

in the opening game of the season in a 2–2 draw against St Mirren. Two months later, on 5 October 2012, he scored his first goal of the season in a 3–1 win over Ross County, and in the next game, he contributed 'assists' for

Billy McKay William Robert Mckay (born 22 October 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Scottish Championship club Inverness Caledonian Thistle. He has represented the Northern Ireland national team. Mckay began his career with Lei ...

and Gary Warren during a 4–1 win over Dundee. Doran was highly praised by manager Terry Butcher after the 3–0 defeat of Rangers on Halloween 2012, in the 2012–13 League Cup quarter-finals. "If you give Aaron Doran space he'll utilise it, he'll expose teams and expose space, he's a good passer and a good supplier. He doesn't score a lot but what he does do is create a lot." After a good November, which included wins against Kilmarnock,

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

and Aberdeen, Doran, along with Butcher and McKay, won the SPL Monthly awards. In mid-December, Doran announced he wanted to stay at the club and that he hoped Butcher would offer him a new contract. In April, Butcher announced that Doran was close to signing a new contract, along with his colleague, David Raven. At the end of the season, the speculation finally ended when Doran signed a new three-year contract with the club. The 2013–14 season started off very well for Doran when he scored and 'assisted' in the opening game of the season – a 3–0 win over St Mirren. He scored another in a 2–2 draw against

a few weeks later. Doran continued his goal scoring form, netting again in the League and also in the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,final of the 2014 Scottish League Cup, where he came on as a substitute for

James Vincent James Vincent (July 19, 1882 – July 12, 1957) was an American actor and film director of the silent era. He appeared in 23 films between 1910 and 1951, and directed 18 films from 1915 to 1931. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, Vincent ...

in the 63rd minute. Doran converted the fourth penalty in the shootout against Aberdeen, but Inverness CT lost 4–2 on penalties after a 0–0 draw. Soon after, Doran suffered a hamstring injury, which he sustained during the match against Motherwell on 19 March 2014. Doran made his return to the matchday squad against Ross County on 4 April 2014, which Doran assisted and scored, in a 2–1 victory for Inverness CT. The 2014–15 season started well for Doran, as the club earned 13 points in the first six matches. Of those first six matches, Doran scored his first Inverness CT goal of the season, in a 2–0 win over Motherwell and scored two weeks later on 30 August 2014 against Kilmarnock before scoring in the next game against Partick Thistle on 13 September 2014. On 1 January 2015, Doran scored twice and set up a goal for

Billy Mckay William Robert Mckay (born 22 October 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Scottish Championship club Inverness Caledonian Thistle. He has represented the Northern Ireland national team. Mckay began his career with Lei ...

in the

Highland derby The Highland derby is a football rivalry that is based in the Scottish Highlands. It is contested between the only two full-time SPFL clubs in the Highland council area, Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Ross County. The city of Inverness and ...

, in a 3–1 win over Ross County. Doran was soon on the sidelines that put him out of action with a groin injury and made his return to the first team, coming on as a substitute for

in the 73rd-minute, in a 2–1 loss against Motherwell on 28 February 2015. Doran then scored his sixth goal of the season, in a 1–1 draw against St Johnstone on 2 May 2015. Doran started as a left-midfielder, in the Scottish Cup Final, where he set up the opener for

Marley Watkins Marley Joseph Watkins (born 17 October 1990) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a winger for Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen. He previously played for Cheltenham Town, Bath City, Hereford United, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, B ...

, in a 2–1 win over Falkirk to win their first ever Scottish Cup Final.

Career statistics

Personal life

In February 2015, Doran and teammate Danny Devine were fined £40 fixed penalty notices after causing a late-night disturbance. Following this, the club's assistant manager

Russell Latapy Russell Nigel Latapy CM (born 2 August 1968) is a Trinidadian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, and is currently the assistant coach of Macarthur. In a senior career which spanned more than twenty years at b ...

said he hoped the pair would learn from their mistake.

Honours

;Inverness Caledonian Thistle *

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2014–15 * Scottish Challenge Cup : 2017–18

Individual awards

* SPL Young Player of the Month: November 2012 * Scottish Championship Player of the Month: March 2019

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doran, Aaron 1991 births Living people Association football midfielders Republic of Ireland association footballers Leyton Orient F.C. players Republic of Ireland expatriate association footballers Expatriate footballers in England Blackburn Rovers F.C. players Milton Keynes Dons F.C. players Premier League players Republic of Ireland under-21 international footballers Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. players Association footballers from County Cork English Football League players Scottish Premier League players Expatriate footballers in Scotland Scottish Professional Football League players