Doran was born in
Belfast in 1896. His family moved to England, and the young Doran was on the books of
Southern League clubs
New Brompton and
Pontypridd and
non-League club Newcastle Empire before signing for
Coventry City in May 1914. He scored twice in his only appearance for that club in the Southern League before enlisting in the Army in September. before joining Southern League club
Norwich City, under the management of his wartime commanding officer, Major
Frank Buckley. By March 1920, he had scored 18 goals for Norwich, already enough to make him the club's top scorer for the season, when
Charlie Webb, manager of Buckley's former club
Brighton & Hove Albion, persuaded him to move to the south coast. In the ten remaining games, Doran scored ten goals, a total that gave him the rare achievement of being the top scorer of two clubs in the same season. The following year, when Albion and the other Southern League teams were absorbed into the new
Football League Third Division, Doran's goalscoring continued. He was the club's top scorer, with 22 goals, and he began the 1921–22 season with 16 of the first 17 goals scored by the team, including two
hat-tricks and five goals in a 7–0 defeat of
Northampton Town. Such goalscoring attracted attention from bigger clubs, and after finishing the season as Albion's top scorer for the third time, he signed for
Manchester City of the
First Division. Doran made only three appearances for Manchester City, scoring once, before the club attempted to convert him to
centre half. He then moved back to the Third Division for a few months with
Crewe Alexandra. Short spells followed with
Mid Rhondda United in the Southern League. In 1924 he joined
Free State League club
Shelbourne. He scored the third goal as Shelbourne defeated
Athlone Town 4–0 in the semifinal of the
1925 Free State Cup, and appeared on the losing side in the final. He also played for Fordsons in the Free State League before finishing his playing career with
Boston Town in the
Midland League. He then returned to Ireland where he coached
Waterford United. After retiring from football, he became a publican in the north-east of England, and died in
Sunderland of the effects of
tuberculosis, aged 44. ==Notes==