Doyle gamble can pays dividends
His dad, brother in law and a friend all have another good reason to hope that the Reading striker makes his competitive debut against Germany.
Two years ago, when Doyle was playing for Cork City, they put their money where there belief was, betting a reported 100 at 150-1 that he would be capped in a competitive senior international for Ireland.
“Now they’re just hoping I get a minute on the pitch,” laughs the affable Wexford man. “Actually, I would have thought the odds would have been higher. I’d have thought Paddy Power would have given them a couple of hundred to one. 150 to one was a bit tight, I thought.
“I was playing right wing for Cork at the time so I don’t know what made them do it. I think I had just scored for the Ireland U21s and they just decided to put a bet on. But I wasn’t aware about it for a long time – they only told me about it when I was moving to Reading. So I have to get my finger out and start doing a bit.”
If Doyle’s international career is anything like his progress at club level the money won’t be resting for too much longer in the bookies. In only his second game in the Premiership, Doyle took up where he left off for Reading in the last season’s Championship-winning campaign, netting his first ever goal in England’s top flight against Aston Villa at Villa Park.
“It was more a relief than anything, the same when I scored my first Championship goal. You want to get off the mark and get it out of the way as soon as possible. Then you can stop thinking about it because you know that you can score in that league.”
The goal, at Villa Park, also gave Doyle a taste of what it’s like to be loathed as well as loved in the Premiership.
“I didn’t feel like sprinting to the other end of the pitch to celebrate,” he explains, “So I slid down in front of the Villa fans, got a bit of abuse and got out of there pretty quickly.”
One win and two defeats have meant a mixed baptism for Reading in the top flight, but Doyle insists that they have seen nothing so far to scare them.
“It’s been fast and furious and end to end from the first game. But nothing has frightened us so far. We know we can play as well as those teams, if not better. But, especially in the first two games, I felt I got into the game as much as I would have in the Championship. It was fine.
“We were talking about it afterwards, asking around if anyone had felt out of their depth and we all said no. We got on the ball, got as much space as we would have last year, if not more.”
With Premiership credentials newly added to his cv, is he now more confident about his place in the Ireland set-up?
“I don’t know about nailing down a place. I suppose I’ve got as good a chance as most of the lads. It all depends on how I do at Reading. If I can stay in the team regularly and score a few goals then I have a good chance of playing for Ireland. But if I don’t do the job for Reading and we’re bottom of the league, then my place even in the Ireland squad will be under pressure.”
And he already knows how pressure can be brought to be bear at international level.
“The Dutch game? Not a great experience. But it sort of wakes you up a bit and reminds you that it’s not all going to be rosy and gives you a kick in the arse, I suppose. I had training the next morning at half nine with Reading, doing set-pieces, so I got it out of my system pretty quickly. Then the first Premiership game was only two days later so, thankfully, I didn’t have to think about it too much. I’m just looking forward to this game, a proper Championship qualifier that we’ll hopefully get a result and confidence and faith from.”
One final thought: would he have backed himself for full Ireland honours two years ago?
“Not when I was playing right wing for Cork, no. But you always have to believe that, if a bit of luck goes your way, you might get a chance in the future.”
The odds on that, it’s safe to say, have been dramatically slashed.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
