Ronan Doherty was brought to both Institute and Cliftonville by Paddy McLaughlin
RONAN Doherty admits to a sense of “nervousness” in his approach to Cliftonville’s new era.
Alongside the traditional questions and uncertainties that surround a managerial appointment at any club, the 27-year-old is also entering into his first season of Irish League football without Paddy McLaughlin as his boss.
Snapped up from Ulster Senior League side Cockhill Celtic, Doherty impressed on the books at Institute before McLaughlin made him one of his top targets when he made the move from the Drumahoe outfit to Solitude in 2019.
With Jim Magilton now at the helm in north Belfast, Doherty reveals he was apprehensive in the lead up to pre-season training but says he’s more than happy with how things are going under the former Northern Ireland international.
“It’s been a strange one for me because obviously I’d worked with Paddy for so long at a couple of clubs and have always got on brilliantly with him, so there was a bit of nervousness there from my point of view,” he explains.
“But it’s part and parcel of football that players and managers come and go, you work with different people at different clubs and when someone new comes in, it’s all about taking their ideas on board and putting their ideas into practice out on the pitch.
“We’ve only been training for a month or so but I couldn’t be happier. The entire management team are trying to get their philosophy across and we’re listening to every word, trying to take in as much as we can and bringing that into our game.”
As a classy midfield rover with an eye for a pass, Doherty acknowledges there are few better for him to learn from than Magilton, who played at the top level for a number
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