Celtic exit gave Coventry City a legendary player that won't be forgotten: View | OneFootball

Michael Doyle was a popular figure at Coventry City and will be remembered for years to come.

Coventry City have re-established themselves over the last seven years.

The Sky Blues were once regulars in the Premier League, but endured a dramatic fall through the leagues and suffered huge issues off the pitch.

The appointment of Mark Robins in 2017 has turned out to be one of the club's best ever decisions, and they now find themselves hoping for a play-off finish in the Championship once again.

Since Robins' appointment, the club has achieved promotion from League Two and League One, as well as lifting the EFL Trophy. Their climb up the leagues began in the 2017/18 campaign as Coventry won the League Two play-off final, subsequently reaching the third tier.

One of the most important players in that 2017/18 squad was modern-day club legend, Michael Doyle.

The Irishman was enjoying his second spell at the club and helped his side get over the line in League Two.

Doyle recently began his managerial career in football, having been appointed Manager of National League side Woking. Ahead of his first full season of management, Football League World looks back on his playing days; specifically his time with Coventry City.

Doyle's early playing days

Michael Doyle started off at Celtic as a youngster, signing his first professional contract with them back in 1998. In 2001, he was sent out on loan to Danish club, AGF Aarhus, where he made 22 league appearances and scored four goals.

Despite his successful loan spell, Doyle received no game time when he returned to his parent club and eventually departed having not made a single appearance.

The Irishman then went on trial at Coventry City before signing for the club on a permanent deal, which turned out to be a spectacular move for all parties involved.

The Sky Blues were in the second tier at the time, and despite him never playing in English football before, he became a regular in midfield for Coventry. It took him no time whatsoever to make a name for himself in the EFL, as he made 40 league appearances and scored four goals in his first season.

Doyle would go on to be incredibly popular with the Sky Blues faithful and earn legendary status at Highfield Road and the Ricoh Arena.

Doyle's time with Coventry City

Michael Doyle spent seven and a half consecutive years on the books at Coventry City and was a reliable asset in the middle of the park under several managers. He made just shy of 300 appearances and scored 22 goals in a Sky Blue shirt.

From the 2005/06 campaign, Doyle began to captain the side on a number of occasions and quickly became a leader in the middle of the park. His leadership skills would go on to put him in good stead for the remainder of his career.

For all seven and a half years of Doyle's first spell with the club, they played in the Championship, and continuously survived relegation into League One.

In the summer of 2009, it became apparent that first team football was no longer guaranteed at Coventry for Doyle, and he therefore departed on loan to Leeds United in the third tier.

He made over 50 appearances for Leeds and helped them achieve promotion to the Championship, but struggled to really get back into the Coventry side and eventually left in January 2011 for Sheffield United.

Luckily for Coventry, this would not be the last time that Doyle would pull on the Sky Blue shirt.

A welcome return to Coventry

After spending four years at Sheffield United and two years at Portsmouth, Doyle made a spectacular return to the Midlands and signed for Coventry as a 35-year-old.

He returned with bundles of experience amidst tough times for Coventry as they had recently suffered relegation from League One. Doyle had just won the League Two title with Portsmouth, so had a lot to bring to the table upon re-signing for the Sky Blues.

Coventry reached the play-off final in the 2017/18 campaign and Doyle captained them to victory at Wembley Stadium as they earned a 3-1 win over Exeter City.

The midfielder was a regular for the Sky Blues all season and became a hugely influential member of the squad. He stayed for one more season before bidding farewell in the summer of 2019.

Michael Doyle is nothing short of a Coventry City legend in the modern era, and his 372 appearances, 26 goals and 20 assists make him a player that will be tough for the Sky Blues to forget any time soon.