Greg Docherty opens up on ‘so hard’ Rangers exit as crowning Wembley moment makes it all worthwhile
The midfielder skippered Charlton to glory in the League One play off final last weekend
From rejection at Rangers to redemption at Wembley.
Greg Docherty feared his career had reached an early peak after being overlooked at Ibrox.
But now the captain of Charlton is looking to go up and up again after leading his London side out of League One and back into the Championship down south.
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The former Hamilton kid has had a couple of bumps on the road on the journey that took him to last Sunday’s play-off triumph against Leyton Orient.
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As diligent and hard-working as they come, the 28-year-old’s impressive commitment levels in the end did him no favours at the two clubs he served before moving to the Valley last summer.
At Ibrox, former gaffer Steven Gerrard was a huge fan of the way Docherty went about his work on a daily basis.
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And that’s why he was reluctant to let him leave, even when he had the likes of Ryan Jack and Steven Davis blocking Doch’s path to the Rangers midfield.
The same story emerged last year at Hull as Docherty found his minutes on the wane.
But he’s now found a home at last in the engine room of Nathan Jones’ promotion winning Addicks outfit – and now he hopes they could be on the move again … this time to the Premier League.
Looking back on his Ibrox exit, Docherty told MailSport: “It was so hard.
“Obviously hindsight’s a wonderful thing. I’m older now and heading into the middle part of my career.
“Would I change a few things? Of course I would, of course I’d maybe do things differently.
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“But you do what you think’s right at the time and when I was at Rangers I know I gave everything every single day.
Docherty was at Rangers for two years, but didn’t get the chances he hoped for
Docherty was at Rangers for two years, but didn’t get the chances he hoped for(Image: Getty Images)
“But it’s tough in those situations, when you think you’re fighting a losing battle. The hamster wheel’s never ending and you can’t get the opportunity you need.
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“It’s easy for me to say this now as I’m in such a good place here at Charlton, but you really do have to stand by your beliefs and cling to the hope things will get better.
“Even when I was at Hull, I stayed probably a year or two longer than I should have.
“I wanted to leave this summer before I did. I could see what was coming with my game time reducing.
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But I was caught under the same bracket I was at Rangers.
“I was classed as someone who’d always give everything — but that held me back because they didn’t want to let me go.
“I wasn’t playing regularly but was kept on in just in case I was needed.
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“But here at Charlton, I’m in a much better place.
“I’m captain of a Championship club that wants to keep on progressing.
“It’s up to us as players and staff to do that, but it really feels like I’m at a club that is going places now.”
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Docherty grew up a boyhood Bluenose, barely a goal-kick away from the club’s Auchenhowie training base.
But it stung to quit the club he loved just as Gerrard’s team were finally on the brink of something special.
“It felt like my career had taken a right dunt leaving Rangers,” he admitted.
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“But I could see how strong Rangers were getting. It was the season they won the league. I remember thinking, I’d have loved to have been involved in that but I didn’t realistically see myself playing a real part.
“So that’s why I pushed to go to Hull. I knew I could be part of a team that would compete and thankfully I helped them win League One that season.”
And Docherty has been central to Charlton’s success this term too.
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Charlton celebrate their play-off victory at Wembley(Image: PA)
The former Scotland Under-21 ace admits he had some teething troubles transitioning to life in London with his young family.
But once he found his feet, it’s been a steady rise for both himself and his team.
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Charlton found themselves trapped in mid-table for much of the campaign but a late run from March onwards saw the Red Robins finally burst their way into the play-off hunt – culminating in Saturday’s 1-0 win over the Orient under the Wembley arch.
“Honestly it was just pure euphoria,” said Docherty looking back on the celebrations.
“The whole day seemed to go by in a flash, even with the 11 minutes of added-on time!
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“I didn’t know what to do at the full-time whistle. The feeling was a mixture of euphoria, relief, sheer elation that we’re just getting back into the Championship again. Just such a good feeling.
“Winning at Wembley is incredible, it’s the stuff boyhood dreams are made of.
“I love Hampden, I’ve always been a big fan of it. I sat and watched the Scottish Cup final on the Saturday and thought Hampden looked great being so full.
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“But then I realised I’d be playing in a crowd that was pretty much double that the next day.
“During the game they announced the attendance as 75,000, which was just mental.
“It’s easily the biggest crowd I’d ever played in front of and it just shows the size of Charlton as a club.
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“The demand for tickets was ridiculous, we had over 40,000 in there and it would have been 50,000 if they’d found the extra tickets for us.
Charlton Athletic’s Greg Docherty(Image: PA)
“This is a proper, proper football club.
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“When I joined in the summer, the manager believed we could get to this point where we get promoted.
“I’m sure he will now look to add to the squad.
“We’re an attractive proposition, a big club in London that’s back in the Championship. It’s going to be a massive thing going forward. It’s just such an exciting time.
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“The manager said after the game, that even though we’re in League One, we’re all striving to get to the Premier League.
Nothing will change next year other than we’re a league closer.
“The level goes up massively, the quality, I’ve experienced it with Hull.
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“But as long as we’ve got an identity that we stick to, I think we can give it a right go.”
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