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COPPELL EXPECTS DOYLE TO STAY
Doyle - expected to stay.
Reading manager Steve Coppell expects striker Kevin Doyle to remain at the club beyond Monday's transfer deadline after seeing him rack up a second-half hat-trick to see off Crystal Palace.
Doyle claimed a trio of poacher's strikes to turn a 2-1 deficit midway through the second period into a comfortable 4-2 Coca-Cola Championship win.
The 24-year-old Republic of Ireland international was rumoured to have been the subject of a £7.5million bid from big spenders Aston Villa last week but Coppell - who began the press conference by joking that his phone was broken - confirmed that no bids have been lodged for him.
He said: "We've had no contact from anyone for several weeks about him.
"Why on earth would a Premier League club be interested in him now after one performance?
"If he was going to be desirable to anyone then they have had 10 weeks over the summer to get him.
"If anyone buys someone in the last few days of the window then unless it's been set up for a few weeks - which isn't the case with him - then it smacks to me of a panic buy.
"But he has been getting chances in the first few games and goalkeepers have been making saves. I know that scoring has played on his mind but I told him that the goals would come as he was in the right positions.
"Once you get one, they tend to come. It's the very nature of a striker's existence and three came at once today."
Doyle grabbed two goals in 60 seconds to cap a crazy spell of three goals in four second-half minutes before nipping in for another in stoppage time.
Earlier James Harper had given the hosts the lead before Nick Carle finally got the Eagles' first league goal of the season from the penalty spot.
Tom Soares then momentarily had Neil Warnock's side ahead before terrible defending saw Doyle twice cash in from set-pieces before nabbing another easy goal in the last minute.
Palace boss Warnock admitted his side's defending was terrible but took some positives from the defeat.
"Kevin Doyle will never get an easier hat-trick than that.
"The marking was a disgrace from three corners and it's a good job that they sold Ibrahima Sonko to Stoke otherwise they could have had 10.
"But if you defend like that you'll get beaten by Bodmin and Saltash - never mind a team like Reading.
"It was the first time I've never been sent off here though so that's a bonus.
"When we went up I was never too concerned. Reading will always create chances but I thought we more than held our own for the majority.
"We played some good football and just lacked that bit of cutting edge.
"But you don't get many chances to win at Reading and we let one go today."
