Institute midfielder Shaun Doherty sees bright future ahead for club

Shaun Doherty has endured plenty of turbulence since first joining Institute two years ago but he is excited about what the future holds for the club.

The midfielder initially joined Stute on a loan deal in January 2020 but within a matter of weeks, Covid paralysed Northern Irish football and the North-West club were relegated after the season was cut short.

The cancellation of the Championship the following season endured a mass exodus from Stute’s squad but Doherty made his switch from Finn Harps permanent and has played a key role under boss Brian Donaghey who was appointed early this season.

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Doherty, 28, has committed his future to the club who have endured their fair share of misfortune since their Riverside stadium was devastated by floods in 2017 and who have spent this season trying to steer clear of a relegation battle.

Now Stute have won three successive matches and moved six points clear of the bottom two, with Doherty telling Match on Tuesday: “I am definitely sticking with the club as I know what way this club is going.

“It has been a strange time – we were relegated after just going bottom the week before Covid struck and there was a lot of bad luck.

“We were ready to start the Championship season in 2020 and had a strong squad of players assembled, but then the season was cancelled so most of them decided to move on.

“Brian only was appointed late in summer and only had a few days to make signings then, so he only really had January to bolster the squad and you can see the difference that has made.

“It feels really positive because we are at the start of something exciting – but we need to get over the line in terms