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Chris Doyle - Southport FC– Player Sponsor
Chris Doyle - Southport FC– Player Sponsor
Barsigns.UK is proud to sponsor Chris Doyle, a young central defender for Southport FC with experience of playing in the Football League.
Ten years before his notorious ‘solobrations’ at Broadhurst Park, Chris was a promising youngster on the books at Everton’s renowned Academy set-up between the ages of 10 and 14. (Must have been difficult, seeing as he’s a Red!)
After leaving Everton Academy, Chris joined Dickie Danson’s youth set-up at Morecambe FC, impressing the coaches from the get-go and earning a pro contract one year early at the age of 17.
Surrounded by a mix of youth and experience, Chris earned a fixed spot on the teamsheet at the heart of Morecambe Reserve’s defence. His efforts certainly didn’t go unnoticed, as Chris’ excellent performances earned him back-to-back Player of the Year awards for Stewart Drummond’s reserve team.
Towards the end of the 2012-13 League 2 season, Chris marked his debut for the Shrimps with a 90th minute cameo in a 3-0 win over Rochdale. He made his full debut in the penultimate game against Torquay United, unfortunately (and harshly) being sent off after just 24 minutes.
During his time at Morecambe, Chris had two successful spells on loan with National League North team Chorley FC, notably helping the Magpies to reach the play-off final after grabbing a crucial goal in the semi-finals.
After his release from Morecambe, Chris joined National League side Southport FC. His stint at the Sandgrounders was cut short after Chris suffered a freak knee injury in pre-season that would see him miss two full seasons of football.
It was during this spell on the sidelines that Chris could be found working with Barsigns.UK, helping us develop our high-quality, custom-made home pub and bar signs and becoming the business you see today!
With a lengthy rehab behind him, Chris was lured back into football by local, Crosby-based team Marine AFC and was back to impressing the fans with his rock-solid defensive displays.
Chris was unfortunately not able to prevent Marine from being relegated at the end of the 2018-19 season, but he did end up joint-top goalscorer with 8 goals in the league – not bad for a centre-half!
The start of the following season saw Northern Premier League promotion hopefuls Southport FC snap Chris up as they looked to make a swift return to the National League North.
Chris quickly adapted to life at Broadhurst Park and became a FCUM fan favourite, thanks in part to his penchant for celebrating teammates’ goals by himself in front of the fans, which has been coined a ‘solobration’.
Although Chris and FCUM seemed destined for promotion, the 2019-20 season was cruelly abandoned due to the on-going COVID-19 crisis, meaning that Broadhurt Park would have to play host to another year of Northern Premier League football.
This season sees the Return to Southport for Chris , and you can be sure that Chris and co will give it their all and beyond next season as they aim for promotion once again!