The 27-year-old suffered knee ligament damage on duty with the Republic of Ireland and could miss the rest of Wanderers' relegation run-in. And while Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Steven Fletcher have matched Doyle for Premier League goals, the Irishman's absence robs McCarthy of his most effective lone front-runner. "I am clearly disappointed but I just take the view that it is time for someone else to play well," McCarthy told the Birmingham Mail. "We've got Fletch and Sylvan and Stephen Ward so somebody else has got to play. It is far from ideal because he has been playing great and it's not what we wanted to happen. "We don't want to lose anybody but the danger always is when you bemoan your luck in losing a player, somebody else has got to play. Doyle has been terrific but opportunity knocks."
