Doyle, Hunt pledge allegiance to Royals with long-term deals

READING pair Kevin Doyle and Stephen Hunt have both signed new contracts.

23-year-old Republic of Ireland international striker Doyle, currently the Premiership’s third leading scorer with 10 goals, has agreed a new contract that runs until the summer of 2010.

Former Brentford winger Hunt, 25, who scored his first Premiership goal in the 6-0 victory over West Ham United on St Stephen’s Day, has put pen to paper on a new two-year deal to extend his stay until summer 2009.

Chairman John Madejski said: “This is extremely good news and I am delighted that Kevin and Stephen have committed themselves to Reading Football Club. They are two of the nicest lads you could possibly wish to meet, and they are both very important players who epitomise everything that is good about football.”

Director of Football Nick Hammond added: “Kevin’s contract extension is very significant and of major importance to our plans moving forward.

“He’s quickly become an outstanding Premiership striker, and the great thing about Kevin is despite all his success and meteoric rise in the past 18 months, he’s still the same level-headed young man that joined us from Cork City.”

Meanwhile, another of Reading’s Irish crew, Shane Long, insists he will not be fazed by anything the FA Cup throws at him as he already knows what it is like to play in front of a capacity crowd on a showpiece knockout occasion.

The 19-year-old, who gets a rare start this afternoon when Burnley are the visitors in the third round of the FA Cup, is used to cup runs having featured in two in Ireland.

Manager Steve Coppell has promised to keep on picking his fringe men for every cup game, even if they go all the way to the final.

Long almost did exactly that in Ireland, although there was a major difference.

He said: “When I was 16 I played minor hurling for Tipperary. We lost the All-Ireland semi-final twice in a row, first to Kilkenny and then Cork.

“So I know a bit about big cup games. I played in front of 70,000 in the semi-final at Croke Park. It was before the big game — the senior game — so everybody was watching.

“We lost by the lowest margin, one point I think. But it helped me play football as well. It makes you that little bit tougher and more stable. You are not surprised by getting a whack on the shoulder. I got a broken finger once and a few black eyes but you just play on in that game.”

Long’s hurling days did not last much longer as an invitation to join Cork City was quickly accepted, and there he found another young prospect who is also now enjoying himself at Reading, Kevin Doyle.

He said: “He was playing right wing-back then but he was certainly one for the future. He was brilliant and with the impact he has made this season he deserves everything he gets.”

Long has started just two Premiership games so far, the 4-0 home defeat by Arsenal in October and a 3-1 defeat at Portsmouth not long afterwards.

Since then he has had to put up with the occasional late run-out from the bench and admitted he would have liked to have featured more.

He said: “It has been tough sitting on the lines in the Premiership but hopefully I can get a run and prove my point in the FA Cup by making an impact.

“But it has been brilliant just being part of the Premiership, I couldn’t have asked for more. Any chance I get I will try to take it.”