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John Docherty (right) and his assistant manager Frank Mc Lintock (left) led Millwall to the Division Two title in the 1987-88 season Legendary former Millwall manager John Docherty, who remains the only Lions boss in history to take the club to the top flight of English football, has died at the age of 84. Docherty and his assistant manager Frank Mc Lintock led a side spearheaded by Tony Cascarino and Teddy Sheringham to promotion to the old Division One in 1988, two years after he took over from George Graham at the helm. "In almost 200 games in charge of the Lions, Docherty left a lasting legacy which, to this day, leaves him as the most successful manager in the club's history, " Millwall said in a statement on their website. , external "Everyone at Millwall Football Club would like to pass on their condolences to John's family and friends at this very sad time. " The club said players from that memorable team would pay tribute to "The Doc" ahead of Saturday's Championship fixture against Coventry City at The Den. Docherty was raised in Glasgow but spent the majority of his football career south of the border in England. The winger had three separate spells playing at Brentford, as well as stints at Sheffield United and Reading, before ending his career at Queens Park Rangers. Docherty's first job in management was back at Brentford before he moved to Cambridge United in 1978. He took over at Millwall at the 'Old' Den in 1986 and the club was promoted to Division One for the first time in their history at the end of 1987-88 season. The Lions would spend two years in the top flight, a feat they have not achieved since, and briefly topped the table in both seasons. Docherty left the club in February 1990 shortly before relegation was confirmed. He returned for a brief stint in 1997 with the club in Division Two, which was then the third tier after the formation of the Premier League in 1992. "His last words were, 'when's my next match? ', " his family said in a statement on Millwall's website. "Of all the jobs he had, his best memories came from his time at Millwall. He loved the club and all its supporters, we will miss him dearly. " The club will hold a minute's applause and black armbands will be worn in memory of Docherty against Coventry on Saturday. Bell strikes early in South Africa's pursuit of 187 to beat England Man Utd scrapped LGBTQ+ jacket plans 'US Ryder Cup players should get $5m and donate to charity' Dissecting funny and fascinating medicine Comedian Kiri Pritchard-Mc Lean and guests celebrate medicine’s past, present and future An obscure death cult that shocked the world The almost unbelievable story of the Order of the Solar Temple How did Peter Theil become a billionaire? He made his fortune from huge tech companies, but he’s since rejected Silicon Valley for being too "woke" Panorama investigates the dark side of the tomato trade Tomatoes are a store cupboard staple for many of us, but can we trust what we are eating? 'Test bowling is different to county cricket - here's why' 'A bittersweet ending but the achievements remain indelible' Football's lack of unity for rainbow gesture - what does it mean? Scotland's golden generation miss their golden hour Vote for BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year In Pictures: Sporting photos of the week Van Dijk 'the best ever'? Rank great Premier League centre-backs Seven months to go - Farrell's Lions to-do list 'Liverpool are the real deal' - why it will be hard to stop them now 'Extraordinary' - the case for Aspinall to fight Jones in numbers 'In 10 years you'll see a woman starting an F1 race' How 'excellent' Van Dijk kept Haaland & Man City quiet. Video How 'excellent' Van Dijk kept Haaland & Man City quiet From postman to world champion - the life of snooker great Griffiths Guardiola jokingly responds to Anfield chants. Video Guardiola jokingly responds to Anfield chants Verstappen has 'lost all respect' for Russell 'People want nothing to do with him': How Ireland turned away from Conor Mc Gregor What being coached by Murray could do for Djokovic © 2024 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.