Leeds United had been in League One for two seasons before Michael Doyle joined the club on loan. The midfielder joined following the club's play-off semi-final defeat to Millwall and was key cog in the midfield as they finally secured promotion back to the Championship in a dramatic final day victory against Bristol Rovers.
Doyle has revealed how he felt when he first heard a move to Elland Road was on the cards:
"There was a bit of talk for about six months before I want there. I remember watching the playoffs against Millwall when there was a bit of talk about me going there the next season and I just thought, "I’d love to go there,"" Doyle told the official Leeds United podcast.
Whilst Leeds ultimately lost over two legs against Millwall, the atmosphere in the stadium was crackling in the second leg, with the noise after Luciano Becchio's goal one that sticks in the memory.
"Obviously the stadium, the fanbase it speaks for itself. I remember watching and when they lost in the playoffs I was thinking I could bring something to that team.
"They were an absolutely brilliant young side and I was excited to try and get there and I got there two days before the season started the following season. "
After the disappointment of two failures in the play-offs, Leeds needed strong characters were they to win automatic promotion the next season and Doyle revealed that the team developed something special during his time there.
"I absolutely loved it and played with some great, great lads. It was one of the best team spirits I’ve played in. Just great people."
The Irishman went on to speak about how those players dealt with the weight of expectation, which many struggle with.
"When big clubs do down, you see what they’re really about," he added. "The fans get behind their teams even more because they’re so desperate to get back.
"When clubs go down, the jersey can become too big for some players. It’s just the expectations from the fans and the pressure but I think I added something to that team and it was great to play with Becks [Jermaine Beckford], [Luciano] Becchio, Snoddy [Robert Snodgrass], [Jonny] Howson, some of the best players I ever played with. They could handle wearing that jersey."
Leeds were unable to keep those players in the long-term as Leeds stagnated in the Championship over the next few years and Doyle said it was inevitable that they would play at higher levels.
"They were all destined to go higher, it was just whether Leeds went with them."
Doyle also spoke of the pressure the players put on themselves to achieve their ultimate goal of promotion, saying, "When you’re going to Stockport and taking 4,000 fans there it’s big pressure."
"When we were losing games the pressure started piling up and that was tough to deal with but we put a lot of pressure on ourselves."
Ultimately, they were able to deliver the promotion they and the fans craved and Doyle retains a cult-hero status at Elland Road, despite only playing at the club for one season.
