Playing Career
He was signed for Lincoln as an amateur and still played for the local YMCA. He played for the reserves side for two seasons becoming their top scorer. Towards the end of the 1946-47 season he played two matches for the first team side scoring a goal on each occasion. Lincoln decided to offer him a part-time contract but he declined as he wanted to help Sheffield and Hallamshire County Football Association to the final of Northern Counties Championship. It was at the final that he was spotted by Sheffield Wednesday scout Tommy Walker. A meeting with Eric Taylor, the Wednesday manager, was organised and as his contract with Lincoln had lapsed he was signed immediately.
In four years he scored 55 goals in 38 appearances in Wednesday's third team (playing in the Yorkshire League) side and 37 goals in 49 for their reserve side, who played in the Central League. This included 8 goals in a single match. He was given his first chance at first team football in March 1950 against Preston North End. It was the first of two games in the 1949-50 season but he failed impress in either.
A poor 1950-51 season led to the Owls were relegated to Division 2 on goal difference. Wednesday's poor form continued the following season winning just three of the first nine matches. Dooley earned a recall for the next match against Barnsley. He took full advantage of the chance scoring two goals to help Wednesday to a 2—1 victory. This was followed by three matches where he only added a solitary goal but at the beginning of November he found a goal scoring touch that would make him Sheffield Wednesday most prolific scorer of all time.
His goal scoring run started with him scoring 22 goals in 9 matches. He went on to score a total of 46 goals in his first season surpassing the 25 year old record of 37 goals that was held by Jimmy Trotter. The tally remains a club record to the present day. The season finished with the Owls being promoted back to Division 1 as champions.
After a slow start to the 1952-53 season Dooley eventually achieved a respectable 16 goals in 24 games but his career was abruptly ended on 14 February 1953, when he collided with the Preston goalkeeper George Thompson at Deepdale and broke his leg. An x-ray revealed that he sustained a double fracture. As he was preparing to leave hospital the following Monday a nurse noticed that there was no reaction in his toes when touched. When the pot was removed it was found that a small scratch on the back of his leg had become infected. Gangrene had set in and it was decided to amputate his leg. It was rumoured at the time that a chemical from the white touchline marking had got into his injury.
Read more about this topic: Derek Dooley (footballer)
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