AN original artwork illustration of one of Huddersfield Town's greatest stars, Peter Doherty, is to go to auction next month in London.

The picture of the immaculate Doherty in his blue and white striped Town shirt, neatly and professionally tucked into baggy white shorts, was used in Stanley Matthews' Football Album, published by Marks and Spencer in 1949.

Because colour photographs were hard to find in those bleak, austere years immediately after the Second World War, Marks and Spencer hired artists to hand-colour black and white photographs for their football book.

This is the result.

Doherty was 33 when he joined Huddersfield in a £10,000 transfer from Derby County in December 1946.

That might not sound a lot now, but in the mid-1940s it was possible to buy FIVE decent houses in Huddersfield for that sum.

Doherty, still regarded as one of Northern Ireland's greatest footballers, made an immediate impact at Leeds Road and went on to score 36 goals in 87 matches.

Terriers expert Terry Frost, in his book, Huddersfield Town: A Complete Record, says: "Doherty was the complete footballer and transformed a disjointed forward line into one of the best in the league."

Doherty's league goals - 13 in 1947-1948 and another 13 in 1948-1949 - kept Town in the old first division, now known as the Premiership.

On November 27, 1948, he scored a memorable hat-trick in Huddersfield's 4-2 win at Newcastle.

Despite his extraordinary talent, Doherty never made much from football.

He started his career with Coleraine. They offered him a £24 signing-on fee and £2 10s a week, which the club later tried to reduce to £2.

After playing for Huddersfield, Blackpool, Manchester City, Derby and Doncaster, he ended up with 197 goals in 403 league appearances.

He later successfully managed Northern Ireland.

Despite the history attached the picture, it is expected to fetch no more than £250 when it is sold by Graham Budd Auctions at Sotheby's Olympia in London on May 10.