Michael Doyle eyes Sky Blues first team place

By Alan Poole on Aug 21, 08 09:55 AM in News

MICHAEL DOYLE is determined to win back his place in the Coventry City midfield.

And the workaholic Irishman is confident that he is almost back to prime fitness after coming through Tuesday's full-scale practice match against Aston Villa unscathed.

Doyle put off two operations at the end of last season to play his part in the club's relegation battle.

The delayed surgery forced him to miss the start of the current campaign but now the 27-year-old is hoping to play a part in the Sky Blues' two home games in four days - Bristol City in the Championship on Saturday and Newcastle United in the Carling Cup on Tuesday.

"I had a couple of problems last season and the specialist said I would need to get them sorted out," explained Doyle, "but I spoke to the management and we decided that I would delay the operations until we were safe from relegation.

"It never really worked out as it went right to the last day of the season - but to be honest the club needed every player at its disposal because of the situation we were in so I was happy to do that.