After barely moving from pause, Colin Doyle's career has switched to fast forward.

The 21-year-old has been in the Birmingham City first team for a mere two months yet he is already contemplating making an international debut later this summer.

Doyle earned his first call up for the Republic of Ireland a fortnight ago and although he didn't get on to the pitch in his country's crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers - historic occasions at Croke Park they were, too - the fact that he is even in Steve Staunton's consciousness is something of a minor miracle.

Until last August, after all, he had barely played a competitive match worthy of note. Doyle came through the ranks at Douglas Hall in his home town of Cork when, at the age of 15, he joined Birmingham.

He signed professional terms three years later but it took him another three to break into Steve Bruce's line-up on anything more than a temporary basis.

He did that in February when regular starter Maik Taylor paid for his part in a 3-1 loss against Southend United; Doyle has not looked back since. A run of 11 games has yielded six clean sheets including last Sunday's strol over a curiously lacklustre Coventry City.

That result compounded the joy Doyle felt days earlier when a late withdrawal from Staunton's squad to take on Wales and Slovakia in Dublin afforded him his first opportunity to join Shay Given and Nick Colgan in the senior ranks.

Although he was forced to watch in the stands as his manager became rather less beleaguered and guided Ireland to a pair of 1-0 victories, he knows compensation is on its way.

"We have got a tour in America at the end of May where we play Colombia and Bolivia and I don't think Shay will be going," Doyle said. "He [Staunton] said to me the other day that I will play in one of those games.

"We're playing in New York and Boston, so it will be a nice little break. Even though our season will be finished by then, if it means I am going to be playing for my country and getting my first international cap I would take that any day."

Doyle can be forgiven for being in a rush. His early years as a young professional were spent in the reserves or, if he was lucky, going out on loan to 'learn his trade' which in reality was a euphemism for sitting on the first-team bench at Chester City and Nottingham Forest.

He made his City debut against Shrewsbury Town last August although, another two Carling Cup games and a single Championship appearance later, he was back on the sidelines before his real chance came at Colchester United.

"I couldn't conceive of all this six months ago," he said. "I was getting frustrated. It's not nice sitting on the bench every week, training and then knowing that you wouldn't be part of the game.

"I just trained the best I could and made sure I was in top shape while I waited for my chance. When it did come, I would like to think I have done OK."

He has clearly done sufficiently well to convince Bruce and Staunton of that.

His first involvement with the Republic was unremittingly positive. "I enjoyed every minute of it," he said.

"It was nice, it was the first game at Croke Park and there were 80,000 fans there and, although I was in the stand, it was still nice to be involved in the build-up.

"It was just good to train with the squad and get to know the lads in the international running.

"Shay is clear No 1 at the moment, he is a top-class goalkeeper. I have just got to concentrate on Birmingham, try to stay in their team and get promoted. If I get a callup after that it will be a bonus."

After spending more years than he cares to remember seeing Taylor chosen ahead of him, just playing in the Birmingham side is also a bonus.