Aaron Doran indebted to Scottish game for pulling him back from abyss

The National

a day ago

Learning that this supremely gifted footballer, an individual who scaled some giddy heights during his time in Scottish football and who only turned 34 back in May, is now a member of the ordinary nine-to-five workforce was surprising. It felt wrong in fact.
Should Doran not really be preparing to help Scott Kellacher's side launch an assault on the League One title in the 2025/26 campaign? Does he not still have something to offer Caley Thistle as they attempt to climb back up the divisions? Could he not give his old side a vital cutting edge in the final third?
This is the man whose cheeky pass to Marley Watkins before the opening goal in the Scottish Cup final against Falkirk at Hampden back in 2015 is seared into the subconscious of every one of the Highland club's supporters forever.
The Irishman himself, though, is more than content with his lot just now. He is grateful that he is able to bring home a regular wage, pay his mortgage and put food on the table for his young family. This time last year the father-of-three was in a dark place both professionally and personally. He had no idea what the future held for him either on the park or off it.
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The winger had been shamefully, after over 13 years of outstanding service and more than 400 games, released while he was awaiting an operation for the anterior cruciate ligament injury which he had suffered in a Championship match against Raith Rovers at the Caledonian Stadium just two months earlier.
The surgery he was scheduled to receive was cancelled twice without any reason being given. Nobody from the club hierarchy bothered to call him, never mind speak to him face-to-face, to let him know that he wasn't going to be offered an extension. He received his P45 via email.
'I was definitely angry,' said Doran as he looked back on the appalling episode. 'But I was worried as well at the time. I was constantly trying to get in contact with the club, to speak to the people who were in charge. At times they would get back to me and say, 'Yeah, sure, we'll help you, we'll do this, we'll do that'. But eventually they just gave me the cold shoulder, just blanked me entirely. It was a really stressful period.
'I was 32 when I got injured. My contract was due to run out. So I understood the people upstairs at the club were probably thinking, 'We could do without giving him another deal. Then we won't have to pay for his operation. This is a chance for us to save ourselves some money'.
'To be honest, I would have been fine if they had just spoken to me and said, 'We're in financial difficulties, we haven't got the funds to pay for the surgery, we need to let you go'. But to go about it the way they did was wrong.
'I came out and spoke about it in the media. I just felt so strongly about what the club had done, not just to me but to a good few players. I had been at the club for a long time, for over 13 years. I had gone in nearly every day for over a decade and given my all. If they had been honest with me it really wouldn't have been a problem. To be treated like that in the end wasn't great. It was hard.'
(Image: SNS Group Jeff Holmes) His friend and former Caledonian Thistle team mate Shane Sutherland had been through exactly the same harrowing experience the year before. The Brora Rangers striker was so incensed when he learned that history was repeating itself that he set up a Go Fund Me page online in an attempt to raise enough money to pay for the career-saving surgery. The contributions soon started to flood in.
'Shane hadn't been happy about getting released while he was injured,' said Doran. 'He didn't like the comments which were made to him at the time either. There was uproar about what happened to him as well. There was definitely a bit of anger there with Shane about how the club treated him.
'He set up the crowdfunding page for me. He didn't ask me if he could do it, he just set it up off his own back. But he spoke to me afterwards and said, 'Even if you only make £500, it's money towards the operation'. Nobody really expected it to get to where it got to. But it made the £10,000 I needed in two days.
'I was really touched. As well as Caley Thistle fans, a few of my former managers and team mates as well as old opponents of mine donated. It was definitely emotional looking at the page and seeing all the names.
'My old bosses John Hughes, John Robertson and Billy Dodds put money in. But so did Kris Boyd and the Souttar brothers, John and Harry. Lewis Vaughn at Raith Rovers sent money too. He has had four ACL injuries himself in his career. I had played against them, but I didn't know them personally. I honestly couldn't believe it when I saw what they had done.
'I just kept looking at the page and thinking, 'Wow! Wow! Wow!' I really appreciated what everybody did for me. Together, they got me the surgery that I needed. It is only because of those players, those managers and those fans that I am back training and playing again now.'
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His problems, though, were far from over after he went under the knife. He quickly realised the hopelessness of his predicament as he started his rehabilitation. He was incapacitated, he had no prospect of getting back playing any time soon and he had no money coming in.
'My leg was still in a brace, I couldn't walk, I was on crutches,' said Doran. 'On top of that, I had no job and I knew that I wasn't going to be able to play football for between nine months and 12 months. I didn't think any team would want me anywhere near them. It was a bit of a bleak position to be in.'
Salvation came at Strathspey Thistle. Ryan Esson, another Scottish Cup winner who had not been shown the respect which he deserved when he was unceremoniously shown the exit door at Caley Thistle, had just taken over as manager at the ambitious Highland League outfit.
He asked his old mucker if he would like to become player-coach. Doran jumped, metaphorically not literally, at the opportunity. He has not had cause to regret his decision on any level.
'It was perfect,' he said. 'I don't think any other club would have done that for me. I was still going to be out for a long time. So it was a good opportunity for me. It has helped me so much over the last year.
'Becky Musset, who was the physio when I was at Inverness, became the Strathspey physio around that time as well. She's been rehabbing me for the last year. So it has worked out pretty well for me.
'I had been thinking about coaching for a while and I had started my B Licence during the Covid season. I think I can see things on a football pitch, I think I can help players. I have learned a little off every manager I have played under since I worked with Sam Allardyce and Terry Butcher.'
(Image: SNS Group Ross Parker) Doran is not, though, ready to retire from playing quite yet. He made his return from injury after 14 tumultuous months out in Strathspey's first pre-season friendly against, in a strange quirk of fate, an Inverness Caledonian Thistle Under-19 side at Seafield Park last month. True to form, he scored after coming off the bench.
'It was definitely strange playing against a team in that top,' he said. 'But it was good to get back out there again and great to get a goal. I think I have a few years left in me as a player. I was actually itching to get out onto the pitch last season. If I can get strong again, I think I have a good few years in the Highland League.'
Doran will don an Inverness strip at the Caledonian Stadium once again this afternoon before taking to the field with his daughters Keeva, Ayla and Georgie by his side for his long overdue testimonial match against County.
New owner Alan Savage gave the game the go-ahead shortly after he had completed his protracted £800,000 takeover last month and so ensured that one of the club's all-time greats will receive a fitting send-off. It is a gesture which suggests that far better times lie ahead.
'Alan agreed to it straight away,' said the player. 'In the past, my testimonial committee proposed games which never suited the people in charge. We could never seem to get it over the line.
'But Alan and Charlie [chief executive Christie] okayed it in about 10 minutes. I think it shows what type of people they are. They want to look after people. Alan has said that players will get the treatment they need going forward. It is good to hear.'
It is certainly a far cry from the club which he left in such unfortunate circumstances last year. The financial implosion which occurred in October came as little surprise to those who had witnessed events behind the scenes at close quarters.
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'Towards the end of my time, we noticed there were things getting spoken about that didn't have a lot to do with football, battery farms, concerts, things like that,' said Doran. 'There were a lot of things happening which didn't make a lot of sense.
'We used to get paid on time all the time and then all of sudden we weren't. So we knew there was something going on. As footballers, you just train and play. But there was a big difference from when I had first joined the club. It wasn't being run as well. I could see the change.'
He continued, 'The club was in such a negative place when I left. They were talking about the move to Kelty, then the financial problems arose and after that there was administration. It is really good to see how positive it all is now.
'I think they're going to do really well this season, I think they will get promotion. It will be good to see them get back into the Championship and then see where they can go from there.'
Doran, who originally hails from Inchicore in Dublin and who represented the Republic of Ireland Under-21 side as a young man, has come an awfully long way, both geographically and professionally, since leaving school and joining Blackburn Rovers back in 2008.
(Image: SNS Group Rob Casey) 'I came over when I was just 16,' he said. 'Irish players actually can't do that any longer due to Brexit and FIFA regulations. But one of my team mates in the side I played for in Dublin signed at the same time so that made the move a little bit easier. We lived in a big lodge on the training ground and a family looked after us.
'The first season I was there they were a UEFA Cup team so there were high standards. Mark Hughes was the manager when I first went in and then Paul Ince took over and Sam Allardyce came in after that. But I progressed pretty quickly from the academy to the reserves to the first team.
'It all happened really quickly for me. I made my debut when I was 17. The guys I have played with over the years are probably sick of hearing me talk about it, but I played for Blackburn at the Etihad Stadium, at Stamford Bridge and at Anfield in the Premier League. It was a really proud time for me.
'I made my debut against Liverpool in a game at Anfield that was live on Sky Sports. I came on after half-time. My family were watching on television back home and it was a really emotional moment for them. I thought I would stay involved at the highest level, but, unfortunately for me, it was not to be.'
Maybe that should be fortunately. His association with Caley Thistle has been a long and profitable one for both parties. 'One day in January I was called into a room and told I was going to Inverness on loan,' he said. 'Jonny Hayes had scored for Caley Thistle in a 1-1 draw with Rangers the month before and I remembered it. So I knew a little bit about them.
'I Googled them and saw they were in third place in the Premiership. But I didn't know how far they were until I actually drove up. It was a bit of a shock. But they were in a great place at that time.
'Straight away, I loved it. I was young, I got into the starting XI and I played every week. There was a good young squad and I got along with all the other players. After my six months were up it was a pretty easy decision to sign for them. I had a few other options, but I thought it would be best to play as much as I can at my age.
'I have always been proud to be part of the team. We finished in the top six of the Premiership three years in a row, got to the League Cup final, won the Scottish Cup, played in Europe. We went toe to toe with the biggest clubs. We beat Celtic, we beat Rangers. To do all that with a club like Inverness was a great achievement.'
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The Scottish Cup win over Falkirk 10 years ago was unquestionably his greatest accomplishment. But the man who set up Watkins for the opener when he dinked the ball between advancing Falkirk defenders Kieran Duffie and David McCracken was almost left on the bench.
'Yogi [Hughes] had a bit of a headache about who to play that day,' said Doran. 'He worried about me getting back down the park sometimes and it was in his mind to play more of a defensive winger. But I got the nod and I was happy to contribute to the opening goal with a nice assist.
'I want to score, to provide an assist, to try and impress, to make things happen, every time I go out on the park. I think I did that on a few occasions. I did that day and was pleased. But I did the defensive work as well.
'We stopped off in a pub in Auchterarder on the way home afterwards and Yogi came up to me, gave me a kiss on the cheek and said, 'I knew you'd pull it out of the bag for me'. I had what I was going to do when I got the ball in my head. I thought their centre-half was going to come out and leave half a yard of space. It worked out perfectly.
'On the training pitch, Yogi's definitely the best coach I've worked under. He wanted to play the football that I like to play. I think everybody learned a lot off him and became a better player. He was a joy to work with. Off the training ground, though, he was a bit of a headcase, a mad man. If you ever found yourself in his office with him you were always trying to get out as quickly as you could.'
(Image: Paul Byars - SNS Group) Doran was never in any rush to get away from Inverness. Injuries unquestionably prevented him from achieving his enormous potential as a player. However, he turned down the opportunity to move on to larger clubs in both Scotland and England for more money on more than one occasion. The laidback way of life, the warmth of the people and the stunning scenery have suited this free spirit.
'I love the area,' he said. 'It's a beautiful part of the world to be. I prefer to be somewhere like Aviemore, where I live now, than Dublin or Manchester. I like the freedom that you have up here. Maybe that has a part to play in my longevity at Caley Thistle.'
Doran confessed that leaving the relatively cossetted world of professional football and getting a real job for the first time in his adult life had been something of a shock to his system.
'The CEO of Strathspey is also the CEO of The MacKellar Group,' he said. 'He has really looked after me. But, yeah, it has definitely taken a bit of adjusting. I am out in the workshop now. I am learning every day. Everything I do is completely new to me.'
Facing Ross County will hold no fears for Doran. He always raised his game for the Highland derby matches and found the target against the Dingwall men on a fair few occasions. It is one of many reasons why the cult hero is so loved in Inverness and will be given a warm send-off by Caledonian Thistle fans this afternoon in his final El Kessocko.
'I have scored more goals against County than any other team,' he said. 'I have scored a few nice ones too. I always enjoyed playing against them. They were the best opponents I could get for my testimonial. I am looking forward to it.'