Doyle determined to improve goal record after Cobh win

15th November 2023
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Over 540 minutes of league action have yielded just two goals thus far for Bray Wanderers’ Joe Doyle and that is a statistic he intends to improve. The ex-Cabo man’s latest strike was an important one as it earned the Seagulls three points against C

Over 540 minutes of league action have yielded just two goals thus far for Bray Wanderers’ Joe Doyle and that is a statistic he intends to improve.

The ex-Cabo man’s latest strike was an important one as it earned the Seagulls three points against Cobh Ramblers but Doyle wants to start shooting up the goalscoring charts and repaying the faith shown in him by Gary Cronin.

“It was good to get the goal. There were a couple of games there where I hadn’t scored so it was a relief to get the one even though I probably could have had about three more! I’ll take the one and the three points because it means we’re back to winning ways and we move onto next week against Shels.

“I’d like to add a few more goals. I’ve been missing a few chances and I’d like to be a bit more clinical. I just have to believe in myself and the goals will come over time. 

“It’s nice. You know he (Cronin) believes in you and if I don’t score in a game, I know he’s not whipping me out or anything; he’ll keep me in because he believes in me. It keeps my confidence going and it’s good to get a string of games because you get a flow into your game and you’re not in one week, out the next week. It gets the confidence going.”

Although two goals is a less than spectacular return, Doyle’s overall contribution is not in question. He is a nightmare for defenders and makes the lives of his team-mates a whole lot easier.

“I try to put myself about there and make it ugly and hold the ball up to bring other people into play. I work hard. The goals will come themselves.

“It’s great to have such quality players around you. You bounce off them and you know their passing is sharp and you can play them in or they’ll play you in. We work well off each other. We’ve a lot of combination play in there.”

As the title hopefuls main focal point, Doyle knows there is a lot of expectancy on his shoulders but the 21-year old feels he has a lot more to offer.

“There’s a bit of pressure there but I think you have to put pressure on yourself more than anything. I want to do well for the team and for myself so I have to have goals for myself. If I’m not feeling pressure, then there’s something wrong. If a striker isn’t scoring goals, there’ll be pressure.

“I still have a long way to go – I’ve a lot more in the tank. Hopefully if I just keep playing games and add a few more goals; I’ll get the right return and see where it takes us.”