Fifteen minutes into just another game of football for Notts County\u2019s veteran midfielder and captain, Michael Doyle\u2019s number seven hundred and something in a career that has stretched over twenty years from Celtic to Coventry and a bit in between, the Dubliner aged 39 might have thought he had seen it all, Notts already 1-0 up against Dagenham & Redbridge as the snow started lashing down, then team-mate Sam Slocombe gets sent off and concedes a penalty.<\/p>\n
The Goalkeeper, the only \u2018recognised\u2019 goalkeeper in the squad on the night, left Notts Manager Neal Ardley with a huge dilemma with more than 70 minutes to play in the game\u2026 Long had been Ardley\u2019s plan this season to have five outfield subs at his disposal, he had already warned the lads at the start of the campaign, Connell Rawlinson, Michael Doyle, Damien McCrory all responded, \u2018if needs be\u2019 they were happy to be considered as emergency replacements when no keeper was on the bench, never did they think the night would come when one would \u2018actually\u2019 have to do it.<\/p>\n
Doyle joked after last night\u2019s incredible match with Dagenham where it was he, who put his hand up to take the gloves on just eighteen minutes to play the majority of the 3-1 win between the sticks \u201cA couple of weeks ago I was playing centre half and the gaffer and Greg were having a bit of a laugh saying they might have to put me in there if it comes to injuries and I said no problem, thinking (to myself) the older I\u2019m getting the further back I\u2019m going, I didn\u2019t think I would bloody end up in goal\u201d<\/p>\n
But Doyle who was magnificent, ensuring he would not be beaten from the penalty spot at 1-0, making a good save with the score at 2-0 and seeing out the match at 3-0 until the ninetieth minute before finally conceding a consolation, said \u201cI played a lot of Gaelic when I was younger with my brothers and for the local club, and thank god all them years of catching the ball kind of came in handy a bit, but the lads in front of me were amazing and it was a joy to watch them with ten men the way they played, they were absolutely brilliant so all the credit goes to them\u201d<\/p>\n
On his first task, to face a Dagenham penalty, Doyle stated \u201cWhen Sam got sent off, I didn\u2019t even realise we didn\u2019t have a keeper on the bench\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was thinking I\u2019m just going to take as long as possible here as the Refs not going to be able to rush me, I knew Luke the sub keeper has small hands, so I said \u2018I want Lukes gloves\u2019 as Sams hands are massive\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew he has small hands because when they get new gloves I always peel the plastic off as I love peeling the plastic off for them, It\u2019s funny it actually came in handy peeling the plastic off\u201d<\/p>\n
Doyle said when he was walking to the goal that penalty taker Paul McCallum \u201cstarted laughing at me\u201d furthering \u201cso I knew right away he wasn\u2019t focussed, at that stage I was just thinking of Bruce Grobbelaar in the European Cup final in 1984 in Rome when he was dossing about, I thought I\u2019m going to have a doss here, but to be fair to Jake the goalkeeping coach he said \u2018look dive to your right\u2019 and that was the decision\u201d. McCallum eventually hitting the post.<\/p>\n
Doyle said after the game \u201cthe lads were calling me the monk out of mean machine and after in the group chat they were putting pictures of Manuel Neuer with my head on\u201d whilst the Notts County fans had already taken to social media with claims of \u2018Schmeichel Doyle\u2019.<\/p>\n