Tommy Doyle following in the footsteps of some Manchester City family legends

Teenage midfielder has a long tradition to maintain after his first team breakthrough

Manchester City's Tommy Doyle during the Carabao Cup, Fourth Round match at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester. PA Photo. Picture date: Tuesday October 29, 2019. See PA story SOCCER Man City. Photo creditShow more

There are 951 Manchester City appearances in Tommy Doyle’s family now; or 1,631 if he includes his grandfather’s cousin Alan Oakes. The late Mike Doyle made 570, a total topped only by Oakes and Joe Corrigan.

Glyn Pardoe, a teammate in Joe Mercer’s great team of the late 1960s, City’s youngest ever player and Oakes’ cousin, made 380. Now Doyle and Pardoe’s grandson has played once.

The 18-year-old Tommy debuted in Tuesday's 3-1 win over Southampton. "You dream of this day," said the midfielder. "Every time you think of it, it doesn't seem real." He is a precocious talent but, as Pardoe pointed out, not the youngest member of the family to make his City bow.

“I facetimed him before the game and told him I couldn’t wait,” Doyle added. “He reminded me he was only 15, just getting a little dig in! He does that all the time, we have a nice healthy competition. But he is a legend at this club and I’m fortunate to have him in my family.”

Joking aside, his grandfather was a source of advice. “I spoke to my granddad Glyn before and he just said ‘Listen, everyone has to do it, so just go out and do what you do’. Everyone has to make a debut at some point.”

Doyle impressed with his assurance in possession, showing neat touches and one Cruyff turn. “I went out and did the best I can,” he said. “Hopefully Mike is watching down and is proud of me, because I’ve done it for him as well.”

Half a century ago, his two grandfathers were side by side in City’s FA Cup-winning team with Pardoe at left-back and Mike Doyle in the centre of defence. The latter died in 2011, but there is a banner at the Etihad Stadium showing him lifting the League Cup in 1976.

“It just makes me feel proud,” the younger Doyle said. “People forget about that era of the Sixties and Seventies, which was fantastic for the club, and they won a lot. For me to continue the Doyle legacy is a massive thing.”

That legacy has lived on his house. “My dad has videos, so I’ve seen my granddad Mike do a few crazy things, and Glyn be pretty normal,” Tommy Doyle said.

“I have shirts at home, some of them in my room, and sometimes I just look at them, to remember. I’ve still got Glyn but it was a massive thing for me to do Mike proud.”

He was far too young to see his grandfathers play live. Instead his memories revolve around the man who captained City on his debut and whose two goals defeated Southampton. Doyle harks back to the last minute of the 2011-12 season when Sergio Aguero won City the title.

“The main one is the Aguero moment, the 93:20,” he said. “That was the moment that changed everything for the club and put us where we are now. Now I’m giving passes to Sergio, and it doesn’t seem real. He’s a fantastic footballer, and he gives you lots of information, but keeps it fun.

“There are no nerves around Sergio, he’s always laughing and joking, which helps to calm you down and make you feel better. What he’s done for the club is massive. Everyone went mental on that day, and to be playing with him is amazing. As I walked out of the tunnel, the seat I was in that day is straight ahead. It was the first thing I looked at, then I looked at my family in the stands, and I was ready.”