Last Five | Matt Doherty

2018/19

• Wolves (45 apps | 8 goals)

Having played a key role in helping Wolves get back to the Premier League following their Championship-winning campaign under Nuno Espirito Santo, Doherty was set for one of his greatest ever seasons in the first spell of his Old Gold career. The wing-back was in his ninth season at the club and would go on to appear in every Premier League game of the 2018/19 season, where he found the net four times, while providing multiple assists to help the team finish in seventh spot and bring European football back to Molineux for the first time in almost 40 years. He also thrived in a thrilling FA Cup run, which saw the Irishman score four times in his six outings – including the crucial last minute equaliser away at Shrewsbury Town to take the tie to a replay at Molineux, where he found the net twice – as Wolves made it to the semi-finals, with Doherty opening the scoring at Wembley Stadium.

2019/20

• Wolves (50 apps | 7 goals)

The right wing-back position was tied down by Doherty heading into 2019/20 as Wolves ventured into third first season in the Europa League. The Irishman continued his form in the top-flight of English football as he found the net another four times across the campaign – including a stunner which saw Wolves fight from two goals down to beat Manchester City – where he missed just two matches due to injury. Having started the season on the treatment table, Doherty was absent for Wolves’ first jaunt into Europe, but he returned to score in the 4-0 win over Pyunik in qualifying. He was a regular under Nuno in the Europa League group stages, and featured in the quarter-final as Wolves fell to eventual champions Sevilla. That was believed to be his final appearance in Old Gold.

2020/21

• Tottenham Hotspur (29 apps | 0 goals)

During the summer of 2020, having racked up more than 300 appearances for Wolves, Doherty switched to fellow Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur, although the regular spot he had secured at Molineux was not as forthcoming in white. He was in and out of the Spurs team throughout their top-flight campaign, despite earning an assist in a 1-0 win over former arch-rivals West Bromwich Albion. With just 17 outings in the Premier League that season, many of his Spurs appearances and assists came in the Europa League. Having featured in the qualifying stages, he played all but three times as Tottenham made it into the last 16 of the competition. Doherty claimed two assists in the last 32 against Wolfsberger AC as Spurs claimed an 8-1 win on aggregate.

2021/22

• Tottenham Hotspur (26 apps | 2 goals)

Doherty’s second season at Tottenham was a similar tale to his first, with the right-back coming in and out of the team during a Premier League season which saw Spurs finish fourth and had started under his former Wolves boss Nuno. The Irishman featured for just seven minutes off the bench of the opening day win over Man City, before having to wait another three months to make his next cameo appearance in a goalless draw against Everton. Doherty played just 15 times in the Premier League that season, but he did score twice for the club – in a 4-0 win against Leeds and a 5-1 victory against Newcastle – during a run of games which saw him feature nine times in 10 fixtures until an MCL injury brought an early end to his season. He also played three times in the Europa Conference League as Spurs were unable to get out of their group.

2022/23

• Tottenham Hotspur (16 apps | 1 goal)
• Atletico Madrid (2 apps | 0 goals)

Although his injury kept him out of the republic of Ireland’s summer Nations League matches, Doherty was back in time for the start of the Premier League season where he came off the bench for the final four minutes of the opening day win against Southampton. He was utilised further up the pitch under Antonio Conte, as he returned to a wing-back position that he had flourished in during his time at Wolves. However, he scored just once before making a January move to Atletico Madrid, as Spurs demolished Crystal Palace 4-0. A first venture out of the English leagues since a loan away from Molineux at Hibernian in 2011/12 saw Doherty head to Spain for the final months of last season, but he was unable to force his way into the side, as he made just two La Liga appearances, combining for 16 minutes, as he came on late in heavy wins over Sevilla and Cadiz respectively.  

This article originally featured in Wolves' official 2023/24 matchday programme. Last season's programmes are still available to purchase online through retailers Curtis Sports.