Doran’s benchmark

Caley Thistle boss Richie Foran believes anger at being written off after injury has lit the fire under midfielder Aaron Doran. The manager has a selection headache for tomorrow’s home match against Kilmarnock given his fellow Irishman’s impact from the bench against Rangers.

Caley Thistle manager Richie Foran believes anger at being written off after injury has lit the fire under midfielder Aaron Doran – along with the love of a good woman.

The manager has a selection headache for tomorrow’s home match against Kilmarnock, given his fellow Irishman’s impact from the bench against Rangers.

Doran is a transformed figure on the training ground, showing greater maturity and desire.

The former Blackburn Rovers player’s talent and trickery has never been in question but his consistency and application occasionally has. A serious knee cartilage operation after the Europa League qualifiers against Astra Giurgiu in July 2015 had some people asking if Doran would recapture past form.

According to Foran, fellow Dubliner Doran is being driven by a desire to prove his doubters wrong after missing almost of all of last season through injury.

The 25-year-old underwent a knee operation after last July’s Europa League qualifying tie against Romanians Astra Giurgiu and has been waiting since the summer for his first start of the campaign.

Foran said: “Aaron has become a really strong character. I've seen a change in him. He's become a leader now on the training ground, whereas he wasn't in the past. There's a real desire and focus since he's come back from the injury.”

Doran has, in the past, made headlines for the wrong reasons but Foran feels those misdemeanours are in the past and added: “He’s 25 now and he’s got a good woman behind him now, which definitely helps – I can vouch for that. They settle you right down and he’s in a good place at the moment in terms of his football and life off the pitch.”