Doyle Knows He is Not First Choice

Kevin Doyle has acknowledged that he will have to fight hard to regain his first team spot when he is fully fit and ready to return to the Reading side.

Last month`s flavour of the month, Kevin Doyle, has missed a lot of games since suffering from a severe hamstring injury against Everton in January.

But the Republic of Ireland striker understands that he will not return to first team effortlessly - even though Doyle is Reading`s Premiership top goal scorer and for the start of the season the catalyst of most of Reading`s goals:

'I'm right down the pecking order now aren't I? I've only missed a couple of games and I won't even get on the bench!" Doyle said speaking to Reading`s official website.

The Irish international`s goal scoring guise was taken up by Leroy Lita who has more then stepped up to the plate in Doyle`s absence, but despite this Doyle does not feel hard done by:

'It's the way it goes and it's the same way it happened for us last season.

'Anybody who has gone out of the team has been replaced seamlessly; the team have just pushed on.

'I've been lucky in the past to not really miss out through injury, now it's my turn and I just have to deal with it.

'When I get back fit, I'll have to wait for my chance again.'
Meanwhile the man who has shined in Doyle`s absence has praised his manager`s tutoring abilities, Leroy Lita commented that:

"Even though he doesn't say much, you learn a lot from the gaffer, the stuff he does and says and I am glad to be playing under him, I am learning all the time from him and the people around me.'

Coppell returned the praise but was also quick to warn his in-form striker that he will find it harder to score as Premiership defences become wise of what he can do:

'At the moment he has a real appetite but it is a continuous test this division and the more he gets highlighted by the media and everything,' he said.

'The more people are going to be alerted to him and the more they will want to stop him, so life is not going to get any easier for him.'

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