Birmingham City: Doyle's loan KO put into perspective

Nov 19 2010 By Colin Tattum

Birmingham City's Colin Doyle has disclosed all about the loan that never was.

Doyle had been earmarked by Sheffield United, and went up to south Yorkshire to complete the formalities.

But he ended up turning straight round and heading back to St Andrew’s, frustrated again at a failure to secure competitive football.

“I played at match for Coventry City on loan [in August], got on the coach and was called straight back as Ben Foster pulled out of the England squad.

“To be honest, I didn’t need to return as I spoke to Ben and he said he was fine. But obviously the club wanted me, just in case.

“Then Sheffield United came in. I drove up on the morning, all ready.

“I was sitting in the changing room looking at my phone and I had a missed call off Dave Watson, saying they couldn’t do it because Jack Butland broke his hand.

“I was about to train after signing. So it was back down again instead.

“Then there was a situation when I might have been able to go back, because of an instant recall clause. Like at Coventry.

“But upstairs they didn’t want to do it. If I look at it now, I still would have been called back because of Maik Taylor’s injury. But it’s just been so frustrating not to get regular football.”

Yet football came secondary to Doyle and his wife, Becky, after their seven-week-old son Liam was rushed to hospital with meningitis.

The scare has sparked a determined campaign to heighten awareness of the disease and raise funds for the Meningitis Trust.