Frustrated Tommy Doyle nails his colours to mast over Sheffield United v Man City FA Cup semi
Doyle cruelly denied FA Cup semi-final appearance against parent club after stunning winner sent Blades to Wembley
Tommy Doyle has reassured Sheffield United supporters that he will be rooting for the Blades when they take on his parent club Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final later this month.
Doyle, on loan at Bramall Lane from the Etihad for the season, helped United reach the last-four stage with a stunning winner against Blackburn Rovers in the quarter-finals - only for his hopes of walking out at Wembley for the first time to be dashed when the draw paired his loan club against his parent one.
James McAtee, also spending the season at United from City, is in the same situation, with United facing the unenviable prospect of facing one of the best teams on the planet shorn of two of their key players in recent weeks and months.
Doyle described the quarter-final win over Blackburn as “such a special moment” and admitted that if anything could have dampened the mood, it would be drawing City in the final four.
“I still enioyed the aftermath of the game though, with the lads and my family, and on reflection I suppose it was always going to happen,” Doyle told UTB, “because that is how the world works.
“Something or someone, no matter what it is or who, will bring you back down. I wouldn’t say I went from a high to a low, it was just frustrating. But it was out of my hands.
“The club and the lads are there and that’s more important than me. For me personally, I’m hopeful there will be another chance to play at Wembley for club or country. I’m swallowing my pride a bit really because I’m just genuinely buzzing for everyone else. I’ll have to back myself in my career to have more opportunities to run out at Wembley.”
Doyle admitted it will be a “strange” feeling for both his clubs to go head-to-head while he watches from the Wembley stands, but added: “Nothing too awkward. I’ve got a foot in both camps and people know my affiliation with City.
“But that doesn’t need to be spoken about at the moment, because l’m a Sheffield United player and my affiliation is with them. I have nothing but the utmost respect for that. I want us to go and cause a big upset and the lads at City, the likes of Kyle [Walker] and John [Stones] know that, having seen them when with England recently.
“So there is no awkwardness at all, it is football and we all understand how it works. Both teams will want to win and City are obviously big favourites.
“But if we got through I’d hopefully have the chance to play in a cup final, but whatever will be will be. If City beat us I’ll want them to win the final. If not, we have a massive opportunity to go on and win it.”