Monday, June 25, 2007
Derek Dougan passes away
I was saddened to learn that former Northern Ireland and Wolves striker Derek Dougan has died at the age of 69.Born in Belfast in January 1938, Dougan scored over 120 goals for Wolves and bagged more goals than any Irishman in the English league.
He was capped 43 times for NI but fell out of favour with the IFA when he played for a Shamrock Rovers XI against Brazil in an exhibition match in Dublin in 1973. The Rovers team was in essence an All-Ireland XI and the IFA opposed the staging of the game which Dougan had helped organise. He never played for NI again and later commented that he was in favour of an all-Ireland football team.
'The Doog' was a real hero to many Wolves and NI fans and the likeable lad will be missed by football fans. RIP.
# posted by United Irelander @ 12:46 AM 
© 2008 United Irelander.
