GINGER PELE’S ON NEW MISSION
SOME decisions are bigger than football – that was certainly the conclusion Eoin Doyle came to when he turned down the chance to go up with promoted Swindon Town.
The 32-year-old was last season’s leading goalscorer in League Two with 25 goals for the Robins, including an astonishing 11-match scoring streak while on loan before the turn of the year.
His rich vein of form earned him a permanent deal with Swindon and the nickname ‘Ginger Pele’ from fans as the former Bradford City striker helped steer the club to the League Two title.
But the long commutes from his Liverpool home, which he shares with his wife Ciara and their three young boys, played a part when Bolton Wanderers came calling.
“It definitely wasn’t an easy decision,” the Irishman explained. “Myself and my family are based up north in Liverpool and I was doing a lot of travelling down to Swindon.
“To be honest, it was a decision with the family’s best interest at heart and then for a club the size of Bolton to show the interest and keenness they did – it was too good to turn down.
“It wasn’t easy to leave Swindon because I was very fond of the place, but it made it a bit easier knowing that the stature of the club I was going to was so big.
“To be fair to the manager at Swindon (Richie Wellens), he was really good to me with days off and that made it a lot easier, but it would have definitely taken its toll to commit to another couple of years commuting.
“I have three young boys and it’s not an easy journey, so it’s nice to be able to come home every day and be able to spend time with the kids. It’s a full-time job away from football.”
Journey
Bolton have had a tumultuous time on and off the field in recent years, suffering back-to-back relegations after starting last season with a 12-point deduction as a result of going into administration.
Yet with highly rated ex-Barrow manager Ian Evatt now in charge and a new-look squad assembled, Doyle believes he can be part of the team that puts the Trotters back on an upward trajectory again.
“It’s really hard for the club and more so for the fans as they are not able to come through the gates at the moment,” he said.
“But we can really feel the support from the outside and obviously the club has been through hell in the last couple of years.
“I spoke to a couple of the lads in the dressing room and we find ourselves fortunate that we could be the ones that start off this club again.
“Hopefully the fans will be able to look back in a few years’ time and say this was a great period for the club – we want to be able to do that for them.”
And while the reigning Player of the Season and Golden Boot winner is not about to divulge his own targets for this campaign, he is frank when it comes to Bolton’s ambition.
“We want promotion, it’s our aim and if we don’t get it that’s an unsuccessful season,” he added. “We expect to go up with the hard work and effort we expect from ourselves.”