Michael Doyle (footballer, born 1991)
Scottish footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Michael Doyle (born 1 August 1991) is a Scottish footballer who plays as a defender for Scottish League Two side Dumbarton. His youth career was spent at Celtic, then Kilmarnock, without having made any first-team appearances. Doyle has since played for Alloa Athletic, St Johnstone, Greenock Morton, Queen of the South, Falkirk, Queen's Park, Hamilton Academical and Cove Rangers.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Michael Doyle | ||
| Date of birth | 1 August 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Dumbarton | ||
| Number | 24 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2005 | Hamilton Academical | ||
| 2005–2009 | Celtic | ||
| 2009–2011 | Kilmarnock | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011 | Kilmarnock | 0 | (0) |
| 2011 | → Stirling Albion (loan) | 19 | (0) |
| 2011–2016 | Alloa Athletic | 147 | (2) |
| 2016 | St Johnstone | 2 | (0) |
| 2016–2018 | Greenock Morton | 64 | (1) |
| 2018–2019 | Queen of the South | 35 | (2) |
| 2019–2020 | Falkirk | 28 | (3) |
| 2020–2022 | Queen's Park | 56 | (3) |
| 2022–2023 | Hamilton Academical | 21 | (0) |
| 2023 | → Alloa Athletic (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2023–2026 | Cove Rangers | 77 | (2) |
| 2026– | Dumbarton | 21 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:45, 19 September 2026 (UTC) | |||
Career
Doyle began his career as a youth player with Celtic[2] before joining Kilmarnock at under-19 level.[3][4]
Stirling Albion
In January 2011, Doyle signed on loan for Scottish First Division club Stirling Albion and made his first-team debut on 2 January 2011, in a 4–2 defeat versus Falkirk.[5] Doyle featured in 19 league matches for the Binos.
Alloa Athletic
On 12 July 2011, Doyle signed for Scottish Third Division club Alloa Athletic[6] after impressing on trial during pre-season.[7] Doyle's first-team debut was on 23 July 2011, versus Peterhead in the Challenge Cup[8] and his league debut was on 6 August 2011, versus Stranraer in a 3–2 win at Stair Park.[9] Doyle scored his first competitive goal on 17 September 2011, versus Queen's Park.[10] Doyle featured in 132 league matches and scored two league goals for the Wasps.
St. Johnstone
Doyle signed for St Johnstone on 4 February 2016, as cover for club captain, Dave Mackay who had been ruled out for the rest of that season with a hip injury,[11] although he eventually only featured in two league matches.
Greenock Morton
In May 2016, Doyle signed for Championship club Greenock Morton[12] and although he extended his contract with the Greenock club for a further year, Doyle was then released in the close season of 2018, having featured in 64 league matches and scoring one goal.[13]
Queen of the South
On 13 July 2018, Doyle signed a one-year contract with Dumfries club Queen of the South after featuring in two pre-season friendly matches at Palmerston Park versus Livingston and Hearts respectively.[14]
Falkirk
On 21 June 2019, Doyle signed a two-year contract with Scottish League One club Falkirk.[15]
Queen's Park
On 28 July 2020, Doyle signed for Queen's Park.[16]
Hamilton Academical
In July 2022 Doyle moved to Hamilton Academical.[17]
In February 2023, Doyle joined Alloa Athletic on loan.[18] He was released by Hamilton at the end of the season.
Cove Rangers
After several months out with an injury sustained as a trialist, Doyle signed with Cove Rangers in October 2023.[19][20] He spent two-and-a-half seasons with the club, which included playing every minute of their 2024/25 campaign.
Dumbarton
Doyle signed for Scottish League Two side Dumbarton on deadline day in February 2026[21] and was appointed club captain in the summer of 2026 following Mark Durnan's departure.[22]
Career statistics
- As of 20:03, 26 September 2026 (UTC)
| Club | Season | League | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Kilmarnock | 2010–11[23] | Scottish Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stirling Albion (loan) | 2010–11[23] | Scottish First Division | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Alloa Athletic | 2011–12[24][25] | Scottish Third Division | 36 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 40 | 2 |
| 2012–13[26][25] | Scottish Second Division | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5[b] | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| 2013–14[27] | Scottish Championship | 36 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | |
| 2014–15[28] | Scottish Championship | 35 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8[c] | 0 | 48 | 0 | |
| 2015–16[29] | Scottish Championship | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| Total | 147 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 176 | 2 | ||
| St Johnstone | 2015–16[29] | Scottish Premiership | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Greenock Morton | 2016–17[30] | Scottish Championship | 29 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3[d] | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| 2017–18[31] | Scottish Championship | 35 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 43 | 1 | |
| Total | 64 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 84 | 1 | ||
| Queen of the South | 2018–19[32] | Scottish Championship | 35 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7[e] | 1 | 51 | 3 |
| Falkirk | 2019–20[33] | Scottish League One | 28 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 37 | 3 |
| Queen's Park | 2020–21[34] | Scottish League Two | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 1 |
| 2021–22 | Scottish League One | 34 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 46 | 2 | |
| Total | 56 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 73 | 3 | ||
| Hamilton Academical | 2022–23 | Scottish Championship | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| Alloa Athletic (loan) | 2022–23 | Scottish League One | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Cove Rangers | 2023–24 | Scottish League One | 26 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 1 |
| 2024–25 | Scottish League One | 36 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 48 | 2 | |
| 2025–26 | Scottish League One | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |
| Total | 77 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 102 | 4 | ||
| Dumbarton | 2025–26 | Scottish League Two | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| 2026–27 | Scottish League Two | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| Career total | 483 | 13 | 29 | 0 | 55 | 0 | 50 | 1 | 617 | 14 | ||
- Appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup
- One appearance in the Scottish Challenge Cup and four appearances in the Scottish First Division play-offs
- Five appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup and three appearances in the Scottish Championship play-offs
- One appearance in the Scottish Challenge Cup and two appearances in the Scottish Premiership play-offs
- Three appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup and four appearances and one goal in the Scottish Championship play-offs