Concussion concern forces Kevin Doyle retirement

When Martin O’Neill named three uncapped strikers in his latest squad at a press conference in Dublin on Tuesday, almost lost in the discussion about Ireland’s need to locate a cutting edge was the manager’s low key reference to Kevin Doyle “suffering a bit from concussion”.

The Colorado Rapids striker had been named in the provisional panel for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Wales but yesterday came the shock announcement from the player himself that he will not now be available for those games — or any more football matches.

The potential implications of his concussion problem, it turns out, were considered sufficiently serious for the 34-year-old, acting upon medical advice, to take the decision to retire from the game with immediate effect.