Sky blue rolls royce

“It was a bit of a rollercoaster of a season”

Callum Doyle

At 19, Doyle has already experienced the euphoric highs and the disappointing lows football can offer.

Before his Coventry City career had properly kicked into gear, the Sky Blues saw home matches postponed and a possible points deduction looming as a result.

This didn’t distract the players from the task at hand, though, as they booked their place in the Play-Offs by the season’s end.

However, the book on Robins’ side's season narrowly missed out on a fairy tale ending when losing the crucial penalty shootout to Luton which saw the Hatters reach the top flight.

Regardless of narrowly missing out on promotion to the Premier League, the defender is pleased with the progress he made at the CBS Arena.

“At the start we didn’t have a pitch so it was tough. Then you get all the rumours about point deductions and stuff like that and the pressure gains,” Doyle explained.

“Once we got going with those games and kept going and going and before the World Cup break I thought we did really well.

“We got the points we needed going into the second half of the season. Again, we stopped and I think we lost that momentum.

“We came back and started a bit sluggish and picked back up again. It was a bit of a rollercoaster of a season.

“It was a great season. It was a great achievement for me [to reach the play-off final] and I was proud of myself with how I handled the game.

“Obviously it didn’t end the way I wanted it to, but you can’t change what happened and you can only change your future.

“I’ll probably use that and try to do more within the game so we can change the outcome [next time].”

Joining City in 2014, Doyle became a scholar in 2020 and played key roles in two Premier League triumphs in the 2020/21 season when making assured performances for our Under-18s and Elite Development squad.

During his time progressing through the youth system, he was nurtured into a fine defender which perfectly equipped him for the challenges of senior football.

Without the support from those back at the CFA, though, Doyle believes he wouldn’t have settled away from his family and friends as quickly as he did.

He added: “I think in my first full game. It wasn’t my best game at all.

“I played against Bristol City in the Carabao Cup, we lost 4-1 and three of the goals were my fault. Obviously it was tough then.

“But looking back at the City days it was just like trying to interpret what people said to me like ‘how you need to be resilient’ and ‘how you need to come back’.

“I thought about those things and it turned out well. The conversations were near enough every day, if I’m honest.

“I would speak to Shayne [Murphy] from the loans group who would manage my nutrition and my strength and conditioning side of football.

“I would then get three week visits, so obviously it was good to see them coming to the club and I was with Josh [Wilson-Esbrand] as well at Coventry, so the [conversations] were quite regular which was good.

“It helped with my football because I felt supported.”

“Obviously the facilities and the staff, first and foremost [helps players thrive at City].

“You have a good amount of staff who take care of you and answer any questions you’ve got.

"If we’ve got an injury we have the physios who will help you to get back on the pitch and it’s a good space to be in, really.

“You’ve got the support you ever need to go to someone, they’re there.

“Obviously in League One it’s very physical, but then again, you’re coming into a new challenge and a new set of players so you’ve still got the like ‘units’ up front.

“Then you’ve got the quick little players, but I prefer to play with the big units and I like the fight.

“The manager at Coventry showed me a few things to do to help myself [deal] with the big players which helped me get the upper hand really.”

“A classy Rolls Royce of a player”

Coventry City reporter, Andy Turner

Ahead of the 2022/23 season, Coventry reshaped their defensive arsenal – with five new players who can play along the backline arriving in preseason.

Competition for places was hotly contested among a number of experienced professionals who have lived and breathed the EFL and its challenges.

However, Doyle’s quality shone through which saw him play a vital role in the meanest defence in the Championship.

“In terms of style, he’s comfortable and composed in possession and able to receive the ball in tight areas and release without getting flustered,” Coventry Telegraph sport reporter Andy Turner explained.

“He was initially due to share the left sided central defensive berth of a back three with fellow loan man Jonathan Panzo, but a mid-term injury to the Forest defender opened the door for Doyle.

“He then cemented his place in the team for the remainder of the season, becoming a mainstay of the defence that kept a record 22 cleans sheets in the division - the highest in the league.

“He has a superb range of passing, including the ability to hit long diagonals to land on a sixpence with a wand of a left foot. He fitted in effortlessly to Coventry’s play out from the back style and would certainly suit a possession-based team.”

As the shutters fell on last season, Doyle now has 90 senior games in the EFL under his belt, all before his 20th birthday.

And the sky is the limit for the classy defender – especially in the eyes of those of a Coventry persuasion.

Turner added: “Most people who saw Doyle play for Coventry concluded he is a future England player in the making.

“He’s a ready-made Championship performer at this stage of his development who is more than comfortable at the level.

"He’s not an old fashioned aggressive type or master of the dark arts like [Kyle] McFadzean, but a classy Rolls Royce of a player.”