Brothers in arms.
Kevin Doyle and Shane Long ventured across the water together from Cork city to Reading FC twelve years ago, costing the club less than £100’000 between them.
It’s fair to say it worked out well for both parties.
Two young lads with a dream of making it in the big time, one from Tipperary and the other from Wexford, and they went on to form a dynamic, almost telepathic strike partnership over the next few years.
Doyle played 179 games for the club, scoring 56 goals, winning a Championship title and a player of the year award. All the while Long was carving out a name for himself as an up and coming star scoring 54 goals and making more than 200 appearances.
Long and Doyle went their separate ways a few years later, with the Wexford man moving to Wolves in 2009 and Long staying put until 2011.
The pair were regularly reunited on Republic of Ireland duty, and their friendship and bond always stayed the same as they regularly roomed together on Ireland away trips.
On Friday, Doyle announced his retirement from the game, as a result of repeated concussions which reduced one of his biggest strengths, in heading the ball.
A poignant day for the sunny-south-east man, a poignant day for Irish football, but Long was quick to remember the good times the pair enjoyed together, and marked it fittingly with a truly classy Twitter post.
@KevinDoyle1983 All the best roomie! What a career & proud I got to be a part of it with you 👍🏻 pic.twitter.com/qlUZ7rnE8i
— Shane Long (@ShaneLong7) September 28, 2017
And here they are in their prime with Mick Wallace and Pat Dolan.
https://twitter.com/leedalyire/status/913520476022034432
They’ve been through it all.
12 YEARS AGO TODAY: Reading signed Kevin Doyle and Shane Long from Cork City for less than £100,000.
Incredible business. #readingfc pic.twitter.com/81H0m3O8tK
— Talk Reading (@TalkReading) June 7, 2017
What a duo.
“Thanks and see you in Wexford,” concluded Doyle in his retirement statement.
He will be missed.
