Doyle reinforces credentials

Doyle: On form

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Reading reinforced their promotion credentials with a 3-0 Championship victory over Derby at the Madejski Stadium.

Steve Coppell's Royals now sit hot on the heels of second-placed Birmingham after inflicting only a second defeat in 13 games on a rejuvenated Derby.

Kevin Doyle celebrated signing a new contract by scoring a brace, which helped him pass a half-a-century of Reading goals, while strike partner Noel Hunt also got his name on the scoresheet.

Twenty-five-year-old Doyle penned a new deal to keep him at Reading until 2011 earlier this week and manager Coppell has surely never spent a better £80,000 in his career.

That is all it cost Reading to bring Doyle to England from Cork City in 2005 and he has since plundered 50 goals in just 119 league starts.

Disallowed

The Royals have dropped just two points at home all season and they thought they had taken the lead in the 13th minute.

Stephen Hunt whipped in a dipping free-kick from the left and Rams striker Emanuel Villa - who scored an own goal against rivals Nottingham Forest last weekend - flashed a header past Stephen Bywater at the near post.

The celebrations were cut short however as referee Scott Mathieson ruled that the Argentinean striker was having his shirt pulled by Doyle and disallowed the goal.

Kalifa Cisse then headed wide from Doyle's cross before Noel Hunt opened the scoring in the 20th minute.

Stephen Hunt sent in another excellent delivery from a right-wing corner and younger brother Noel was on hand to power a header past Bywater.

Predator

The game then descended into a lull until the predatory Doyle stamped his mark on it with the second goal in the 68th minute.

Chris Armstrong played a one-two with Stephen Hunt down the left and, after shaking off the challenge of Derby substitute Nacer Barazite, delivered the perfect cross into the mouth of the goal.

The Republic of Ireland striker could hardly miss and buried a header past Bywater to bring up his 12th goal of an already prolific season.

Reading thought they should have had a penalty when substitute Claude Davis bundled over Ivar Ingimarsson before Doyle grabbed his second in superb style in the 75th minute.

Collecting a throw-in on the corner of the box Doyle span away from Davis before planting a left-footed effort wide of Bywater and in off the far post.