MOTHERWELL are mourning the death of former fans' favourite Jamie Dolan who has died at the age of 39.
Dolan's death is the latest shock to hit the club following the death of captain Phil O'Donnell who died from a cardiac arrest after collapsing on the Fir Park pitch on 29 December last year during a game against Dundee United.
Dolan died of a he
art attack while out jogging, according to a Motherwell spokesman.
"It is unbelievable," said John Philliben, who was a team-mate of Dolan at Fir Park for almost ten years. "Jamie must have been out training for Dougie Arnott's testimonial game next week.
"The last time I spoke to him, strangely enough, was at the Phil O'Donnell benefit game, but I didn't see him that often.
"I knew he was a keen golfer, he took it up just as I was leaving Motherwell.
"He was a quiet lad when he first came into our dressing- room, but once he settled in he was a joker and got on well with everyone.
"He came into a good team that Tommy McLean had built at that time and was a good player to have in your side, winning the ball and keeping it simple."
Dolan started his career at Motherwell in the 1980s after being signed from Forgewood Boys Club. He appeared in the Youth Cup final against Celtic in the 1986/87 season and soon found himself promoted to the senior squad under McLean.
Dolan was a mainstay in the heart of the Motherwell midfield in the early to mid-1990s.
In January 1997, however, he moved to Dundee United as part of a swap deal with Owen Coyle. After two seasons at Tannadice, Dolan moved south to Fife to play for Dunfermline where he stayed for a year. A year at Livingston followed, which included a loan deal with Forfar Athletic, and he spent his final playing season with Partick Thistle, retiring in 2002 after over 300 league games.
He remained active in the game though and was involved in the junior leagues for many years. Dolan also retained strong links with Motherwell, playing an active role in the former players' club and assisting the club with charity and sponsors' events.
Former Motherwell captain Craig Paterson told BBC Scotland: "I saw Jamie not long ago and he still looked fit enough to play a full match. When Motherwell qualified for Europe in 1994, Jamie Dolan, Billy Davies and Paul Lambert were as good a midfield as anywhere in Scotland at that time.
"He was a favourite with the fans because every week he would give 90 minutes of hard graft. If he didn't play well at least you knew he would give his all for the team. It's just so sad that he's now gone."
A statement on the club's official website said: "Everyone at Motherwell Football Club would like to pass on our sincerest condolences to Jamie's family and friends at this sad time."
The full article contains 508 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
