Martin Doak (1964-2024)
Greenock Morton Football Club was extremely saddened to learn of the passing of former player and Club stalwart Martin Doak, at just 60 years of age.
Initially joining Benny Rooney’s Morton on an “S Form” in 1979, Martin formally signed for the club from Shamrock Boys Club on 1st December 1980, aged 16. After a couple of years of reserve and youth team football, he subsequently made his first team debut as a substitute in a Premier League game against Motherwell at Fir Park in November 1982. He was 18 years of age.
In his preferred position at the heart of the defence, or as a central midfielder, Martin went on to have a long and successful Morton career, punctuated by a brief loan spell at Falkirk in 1984, where he played 7 games, and a two-year adventure in Australia from 1988 to 1990, playing for Adelaide Hellas.
On his return from Australia in 1990, Martin immediately re-joined Morton and was a regular in Allan McGraw’s team, quickly taking on the role of captain. However, a serious knee injury forced his premature retirement from the game in February 1994, three months before his 30th birthday. A Benefit Match against Rangers at Cappielow on 8th March 1994 attracted over 3,000 fans.
In total, Martin made 317 appearances for Morton, starting 289 times and coming off the bench on a further 28 occasions. Indeed, he is one of only sixteen players in Morton’s 150 year history to make over 300 appearances for the Club and ranks 14th in the all-time appearance list. 65 of his Morton appearances were in the Premier League. Martin was big, strong and powerful; he had a remarkably good strike rate, netting 34 times for the club, including 10 in 1991-92 season. Surprisingly, he was dismissive of his scoring record, declaring that not many of his goals were ”decisive”, and that “few actually stood out in his memory.”
Morton won the First Division title twice during Martin’s time at Cappielow, in 1983/84 and again in 1986/87. In his Benefit Match programme, he describes the 3-2 victory against Kilmarnock, which clinched the Championship and promotion in May 1984, as his “best ever with Morton.” In 1986/87 Morton were favourites to go up, and a final day defeat to Airdrie looked to have cost the Club the title, until news of Dunfermline’s surprise loss at bottom club Montrose began to filter in. Martin was excited at the prospect of returning to the big stadia like Ibrox, Parkhead and Pittodrie. He later captained Morton in the club’s only B & Q Cup Final appearance, against Hamilton Academical in 1992/93 season, but sadly, the absence of striker Derek Lilley and a serious injury to Alan Mahood contributed to Morton’s narrow 3-2 defeat.
So, the tall, skinny 15-year old, who turned up for training in 1979, went on to spend 13 of the subsequent 15 years of his football career at Cappielow, before being forced to retire prematurely because of injury. Martin was a great servant to the club, a model professional who never gave less than 100% on the pitch.
The thoughts and best wishes of everyone connected with Greenock Morton Football Club go to Martin’s family at this very difficult time. He was an outstanding player who contributed so much to the club.
