Doyle happy to wave goodbye to 2009

A new year is looming and, given the events of the last 12 months, nobody will be celebrating with more gusto when the clock strikes midnight on December 31 than Kevin Doyle.

To say that 2009 was something of a let-down for the Ireland international would be one of the year’s greatest understatements.

As if the disappointment of Reading’s end-of-season meltdown – which saw them dumped out of the play-offs by Burnley and lose their respected manager, Steve Coppell – was not enough to stomach, Doyle’s agony was then compounded by Thierry Henry, Paris and all that.