Michael Doyle searching for light at the end of Pompey’s dark tunnel

He has never played in the Premier League, and no club has ever paid a transfer fee for his services.

But Portsmouth’s Michael Doyle is heading for 500 English league appearances and has another contract taking him to 34. Today, it’s an FA Cup duel at former Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy’s Ipswich.

On Saturday August 9, 1997, the day after his 16th birthday, Michael Doyle sat down at home with his dad in Dublin to follow the afternoon’s Premier League football in England.