Steely centre-half for Queens Park Rangers and Northern Ireland
Alan McDonald, who has died suddenly aged 48, was a member of the last Northern Ireland squad to reach the World Cup finals, in Mexico 1986. Though the team did not progress past the group stage, reaching the finals for the second consecutive tournament was a huge achievement for the tiny nation, until 2006 the smallest country ever to qualify.
During the tournament the young centre-half was faced with marking two of the most dangerous strikers of the era in Brazil's Careca and Spain's Emilio Butragueño, and though both players scored in defeating Northern Ireland 3-0 and 2-1 respectively, McDonald, relatively inexperienced, performed with typical tenacity and spirit, and was not overawed by the occasion or his world-class opponents.
He was 22 at the time and had won a regular place in the national team the year before, making his debut against Romania in 1985, the first of 52 international caps, and also captained his country. Later that year, he played in an infamous World Cup qualifier against England at Wembley. It was the last group match, and with England already qualified, Northern Ireland needed a draw to join them in Mexico. A dull game ended 0-0. Some people believed it was fixed to ensure both home nations qualified, although McDonald insisted: "If anyone thinks that game was a fix, they can come and see me outside."
McDonald was born in Belfast and signed for the London club Queens Park Rangers as a schoolboy. It took him several seasons to break into the first team, and he made his league debut for Charlton Athletic while on loan. When he did reach the QPR first team he established a partnership in the centre of QPR's defence with England international Terry Fenwick.
He played in QPR's brief Uefa Cup campaign in 1984 and two years later helped them reach the League Cup final. In a memorable run, McDonald scored an extra-time goal against local rivals Chelsea in the quarter-final and the team defeated Liverpool, that year's league and FA Cup champions, in the semi-final, only to crash 3-0 to unfancied Oxford United in the final.
During his 17 years at QPR, McDonald played under 10 different managers and was one of the club's few pillars of stability, winning fan admiration for his loyalty and his steely commitment on the field. He made a total of 483 appearances, the third-highest in the club's history, and scored 18 goals.
In the later 1980s he formed an important defensive partnership with England international Paul Parker, and QPR finished fifth in 1987-88, a position they matched in the 1992–93, the inaugural Premiership season. More often, however, they were to be found in mid-table. In 1996, the club was relegated from the Premiership, and a year later McDonald was sold to Swindon, where he played for one season before retiring in 1998. He returned to QPR in 2006 as assistant to manager Gary Waddock. The following year he became manager of Glentoran in his native Belfast, where he stayed for three seasons, guiding the club to the IFA Premiership title in 2008-09. He also coached his country's under-21 side.
He is survived by his wife.
• Alan McDonald, footballer, born 12 October 1963; died 23 June 2012 Read More
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