Jack Doran

Life and career

Doran was born in Belfast in 1896. His family moved to England, and the young Doran was on the books of Southern League clubs New Brompton and Pontypridd and non-League club Newcastle Empire before signing for Coventry City in May 1914. He scored twice in his only appearance for that club in the Southern League before enlisting in the Army in September. before joining Southern League club Norwich City, under the management of his wartime commanding officer, Major Frank Buckley. By March 1920, he had scored 18 goals for Norwich, already enough to make him the club's top scorer for the season, when Charlie Webb, manager of Buckley's former club Brighton & Hove Albion, persuaded him to move to the south coast. In the ten remaining games, Doran scored ten goals, a total that gave him the rare achievement of being the top scorer of two clubs in the same season.