 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Eamonn John Dolan | ||
| Date of birth | (1967-09-20)20 September 1967 | ||
| Place of birth | Galway, Ireland | ||
| Date of death | 20 June 2016(2016-06-20) (aged 48) | ||
| Place of death | Reading, England | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1985–1990 | West Ham United | 15 | (3) |
| 1989 | →Bristol City (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1990–1991 | Birmingham City | 12 | (1) |
| 1991–1993 | Exeter City | 26 | (4) |
| Total | 56 | (8) | |
| International career | |||
| 1986–1989 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 5 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2002 | Exeter City (caretaker) | ||
| 2003–2004 | Exeter City | ||
| 2013 | Reading (caretaker) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Eamonn Dolan (20 September 1967 – 20 June 2016) was an Irish professional footballer and coach.
Dolan played as a striker, beginning his professional career withWest Ham United. He made his debut on 9 May 1987 in a 2–0 home win againstManchester City coming on as a substitute forMark Ward. It was his only appearance of the 1986–87 season.[1] In the 1987–88 season, Dolan made only four appearances, three as a substitute.[1] His first West Ham goal came on 30 September 1989 in a 2–3 home defeat toWest Bromwich Albion.[1] On 18 October 1989, Dolan made possibly his most notable appearance for West Ham. In 5–0 home defeat ofSunderland, he scored twice with his goal celebrations inspiring cartoons drawn byfanzine cartoonist,Phill Jupitus.[2][3] He continued to play regularly until the end of November 1989 when he signed forBirmingham City[1] He made 21 appearances in all competitions for West Ham scoring four goals.[1]
Dolan joined Exeter in 1991, and this marked the beginning of a 13-year association with the club, although he only managed 26 league appearances for the club as his career was cut short in 1993 when he developedcancer.[4] His testimonial was in September 1994 in a game between Exeter and West Ham.
He survived the condition, and continued to serve the "Grecians" as football in the community officer, youth coach, caretaker manager, and finally full-time manager, taking over after the club's relegation fromthe Football League in2003.[5] His first season in charge was fairly successful, steadying the ship after a difficult year, and almost qualifying for the playoffs, but he left the club in September 2004 to joinReading as academy manager.[6][7]
Dolan and his twin brotherPat Dolan[8] were capped at Under-21 and youth level forRepublic of Ireland national football team. He scored 10 goals in his first seven youth internationals. They both played at the1985 FIFA World Youth Championship.[9] Both had made their Irish international début atRepublic of Ireland national under-17 football team level against Northern Ireland in the first ever fixture between the two nations atSeaview in a 6–1 friendly win in January 1985. Dolan scored a hat trick.
Dolan died of cancer on 20 June 2016.[10]
On 5 July 2016, at the end of Dolan's funeral,Reading announced that the North Stand ofMadejski Stadium would be renamed the "Eamonn Dolan Stand".[11]