International Friendly Preview: Emmet Malonetalks to the striker hoping to reach double figures tonight
His caps tally will creep into double figures only if he plays in Aarhus this evening. But such has been the pace of change in the Ireland set-up of late that Kevin Doyle's sense of being the "new boy" is already beginning to feel a little bit . . . well, last year.
The squad that heads for Denmark today is considered reasonably strong and yet only eight of them have played more games at this level than the 23-year-old from Wexford.
For Doyle the shift is significant. When he first arrived in the senior team he recognised everybody because he'd seen them on television. Now they are old team-mates, whether from club or underage-international sides: players making the same step-up he has made in such style and happy, one suspects, there is someone there who has already experienced the journey.
"It's strange," he says, "I was only thinking about this the other day. When I first came in it was into a squad that had played in a World Cup and it was a bit weird because they were all stars that I'd seen on TV. I'd been working in my parents' pub during the 2002 World Cup and I remember we were complaining that we had to open early because the matches were on in the morning.
"I didn't even know if the players would know me because I'd only been playing in England for two or three months and they'd probably have known nothing about me from Ireland.
"I'd played against a few of them in the championship and done okay, which helped a bit, but it was still a new experience just to be training with them. Now, a lot of lads I played with at under-20 and under-21 are coming through. Just look at the strikers. I've played with Daryl Murphy and Andy Keogh at under-20 level and Shane Long in Cork. Whereas when I first came in it was Robbie Keane, Clinton Morrison, David Connolly."
The young striker finds the arrival of so many familiar faces a comfort, for while he's settled well into his new surroundings, he insists he is still somewhat star struck by those he remembers watching from afar.
"I'm still in awe of people like Robbie and Shay Given and Richard Dunne - lads I'd seen on TV in the World Cup when I was younger. But now, having lads I've known a long time and lads I play with at Reading means it's not as nerve-wracking when you come into the hotel. For me it's a lot more relaxing."
All the more so because, as he appreciates, this evening's game is primarily about reacquainting players with each other and the task in hand. Qualification, he says, can still be achieved but the time for getting worked up about it is still weeks away.
"This is about getting everyone together and getting into a routine before we go into two massive games. Most of this squad will be there for the competitive games so this week is about . . . training together, getting used to each other again.
"At the end of the day, then, we have to do the job ourselves. We know what we have to do. It's a battle for second and I don't think we can't afford to lose to either one of them over there.
"Two draws away from home and then winning our home games might be enough. Looking back six months, if we'd known we'd be in with a chance for second place now we'd have taken it. And now we've given ourselves a half-decent chance."
On the club front, meanwhile, Doyle has much to aim for, just about every pundit in England having mentioned Reading and "second-season syndrome" in the same sentence these past few weeks. The win over Everton on Saturday, however, suggests Steve Coppell's men are capable of picking up where they left off in May.
"To me that was a bigger game than Man United or Chelsea," he smiles. "I know the manager didn't say that but you're not really expecting anything out of those games. Whereas Everton at home - if we'd lost that or even just drawn it - people would have been saying it was not a great start. But we got the win and it makes things look pretty bright. It makes it easier going into the next match, Bolton away. They've been beaten a few times so we should be confident for that."
His own confidence remains high as he awaits his first goal of the season.
"I've been feeling good," he says, "especially in the last two games. In the first game against Man United I was sort of fighting a losing battle; I think I touched the ball about four times. But I was happy with Chelsea - everyone played well and we were unlucky to get beaten. And I was happy again with how I played against Everton; I got some chances and half-chances and it's always nice to get some shots off. The next thing I need is a goal and then I'll be really happy."
