ONLY GOALS AND HOURSES

Former Wolves and Reading striker Kevin Doyle has gone from hitting winners to helping the family business produce them on the racecourse

- GARRY DOYLE

KEVIN DOYLE has his days mapped out for the next month.

He always worked that way, logically planning his life around fixtures, Tuesdays and Saturdays, when his working life took him onto different fields.

In his previous sporting life, he was a Premier League striker for both Reading and Wolves, along with winning 62 caps for the Republic of Ireland.

But these days his office is the stable yard outside his home.

For five decades, this is where the Doyles of Adamstown, Co. Wexford have run their business. His grandfather was a breeder, his father too.

"Did I think I would get into this when I was 25?" says Doyle, 40. "Probably not."

But by 35 he had a different perspective. Suddenly his future was no longer clear.

The athlete was now an ex-athlete and the adrenaline rush he used to get from performing in front of thousands had been taken away.

"It is a big adjustment when you finish," said Doyle. "And it doesn't matter if you have made millions out of football or not. It has the same effect on anyone. 

"You are stopping at 35 from sport but are still a young person. So it is vital to have an interest, something that gets you up out of bed, gets you out of the house, something you want to do.