Career
He scored 10 goals in his first seven youth internationals. They both played at the 1985 Fédération internationale de football association World Youth Championship. Dolan scored a hat trick.
Dolan played as a striker, beginning his professional career with West Ham United, before moving on to Birmingham City and then Exeter City.
Dolan joined Exeter in 1991, and this marked the beginning of a 13-year association with the club, although he only managed 26 league appearances for the club as his career was cut short in 1993 when he developed cancer. His testimonial was in September 1994 in a game between Exeter and West Ham.
He survived the condition, and continued to serve the "Grecians" as football in the community officer, youth coach, caretaker manager, and finally full-time manager, taking over after the club"s relegation from the Football League in 2003. His first season in charge was fairly successful, steadying the ship after a difficult year, and almost qualifying for the playoffs, but he left the club in September 2004 to join Reading as academy manager, a position he holds to this day.