Doyle on target to face San Marino

KEVIN DOYLE has raised hopes that he could yet be fit for Ireland’s European Championship qualifier in San Marino next month.

The Reading striker suffered a hamstring injury at Everton on January 14 and was expected to be out of action for at least a month.

However, following cryotherapy treatment in his native Wexford, the 23-year-old says he is pleased with the speed of his recovery and has allowed for the first time he might be fit for the San Marino game on February 7.

“I am making good progress and I am definitely targeting the Manchester City game next Saturday,” he says. “Perhaps that is optimistic. Then there is the Ireland game after that, and I would love to play in that. But I will only play if I can. I won’t be stupid and rush back if I’m not ready.”

The revolutionary cryotherapy treatment was recommended to Doyle by rugby star and fellow Wexford man, Gordon D’Arcy.

“I heard about it a few months ago from Gordon, who had the same treatment in Poland,” says Doyle. “I asked if I could use it when I was back home in Wexford. It’s like a big industrial-size freezer where you walk around with just a face mask to stop your mouth freezing, ear muffs, shorts and trainers.

“It’s -110C, so you can’t stand still or you would freeze up. You can only stay in there for three or four minutes. You really have to gear yourself up mentally before you go in. It’s certainly not fun and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you were trying to come back from injury.”

The squad for the San Marino game will be unveiled by manager Steve Staunton in Dublin on Tuesday.

Meanwhile reports from Reading that a deal has been done on taking Doyle’s former team-mate Alan Bennett from Cork City appear to be premature. A suggestion that City had agreed a fee of €370,00 for the defender was denied by sources in Cork, although it is known that club chairman Brian Lennox did meet with Reading officials in London over the past couple of days.

City have made it clear that they are reluctant to lose the services of the highly-rated 25-year-old but if, as is widely expected, the deal finally goes through next week, it should be for a sum not less than €250,000.