"I bet he can't even reach the crossbar - look at the size of him!"

Former Ireland international midfielder Michael Doyle joined Wednesday's OTB AM to discuss how he ended up playing the guts of a professional game in goals for Notts County. 

When goalkeeper Sam Slocombe was sent-off with a little less than 20 minutes played last night, Notts County knew they were in a little bit of bother.

Unlike the English Football League, Conference teams are only allowed five substitutes on the bench and - owing to how rare such situations are - County boss Neal Ardley had opted to play without a back-up 'keeper.

"At the start of the season [the manager] texted me to ask the lads who would volunteer to go in goals [if something like this happened]," Doyle explained on Wednesday's OTB AM.

"Straight away I said myself, another Irish lad from Limerick, Damien McCrory and a couple of the big centre-halves. Once we had the sending-off last night, I told the striker to go over and ask who he wants to go in goal. He came back over then said said: 'Doyler, its you.' Oh no."

The 39-year-old Irish midfielder with almost 800 professional games played was set to play the guts of an entire league game in goals.

Readying himself to get the gloves on, some of Doyle's teammates thought it might be better if the experienced midfielder stayed where he was and helps the 10-men through what was looking like a long night ahead.

"This lad from Portugal, a good lad Rúben, he said he would go in," Doyle recalled, "but I was thinking, 'No, we can't put you in goal', without being disrespectful.

"He started kitting up though so I ran over to the manager just to see what he was thinking formation wise but he told me to go into goals."

Taking the gloves from Rúben Rodrigues, Doyle's first task was to face up to a penalty from the incident which preceded that red card.

We can't show you the goals until tomorrow evening, so we'll leave you with one of the skipper's many excellent saves from a quite incredible night! 🖤 pic.twitter.com/WYVnwoj1wi

— Notts County FC (@Official_NCFC) February 9, 2021

"I just thought I'll take as long as I want here," he explained. "The longer I make him wait for a penalty it'll start to put that bit of doubt in his mind.

"So, I took a good five, six minutes to get ready over by the dugout and then I walked down to the goal with the referee telling me to hurry up.

"I had the towel in my hand - like I was ever going to use it - and the water and I walked behind the goal, snooping about checking out the area and [the penalty taker] started laughing at me because I was in behind the net banging by feet off the posts and that.

"I could hear one of their lads saying, 'I bet he can't even reach the crossbar - look at the size of him', so it was a good laugh."

When it finally seemed like the game could get going again and the penalty taker began his run-up, the Dubliner found another way to delay proceedings.

"I jumped out of the goal and walked up to the penalty spot," he said. "I told the ref, 'that's not on the spot,' and he was losing the head. 'I'm telling you now, get back in the goal or I'll book you.'

"But he had made a massive decision already sending the 'keeper off and I reckoned he wasn't going to book me."

Having got his instructions from the goalkeeping coach about where the taker liked to hit them, Doyle had it in his mind to dive to hit right.

"I went to my right," he told us, "and fortunately enough the ball hit the post. It was a massive piece of luck and played a big part in our night."

26 March 2002; Michael Doyle  in action against Dennis Sorensen. International friendly, Republic of Ireland U21 v Denmark U21. Picture credit; Sportsfile

Grateful for his GAA background with St. Mark's in Tallaght under some of the high balls, Doyle won't necessarily be rushing to get back in goals again anytime soon.

"We ended up winning 3-1," he noted of Notts County's defeat of Dagenham & Redbridge, "and the outfield players were absolutely brilliant and put a right shift in - I didn't have a lot to do.

"But you know when you're watching kids play football in the park and they've got the smallest player on the pitch in goal, I felt like that."

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