David Prutton has outlined how Bradford City must be kicking themselves at allowing striker Eoin Doyle to leave on-loan to Swindon.

Eoin Doyle has been in fine form this season for Swindon Town, since signing on-loan in the summer from the Bantams. At the moment, Doyle is the top scorer in England after his brace at the weekend took him 16 goals already after 15 games.

Doyle’s two goals for Swindon helped them overcome Salford City at Moor Lane, winning 3-2 to put them top of League Two. His form at the moment shows no sign of relenting, with at least one goal in each of his last six games, scoring nine overall in that period of time.

Doyle signed on-loan from Bradford with both sides eager to return back to the third tier and his parent club making a handful of reinforcements in the striker department over the summer in Clayton Donaldson, James Vaughan, and Aramide Oteh.

The Bantams currently sit in third place, well on-track for automatic promotion, but with seven teams boasting a better goal-scoring record than them at the moment, they will surely be regretting sanctioning the loan move of Eoin Doyle to Swindon, given his form.

When speaking on Sky Sports’ EFL Podcast, David Prutton had this to say on Bradford letting Doyle move to the Robins: “Well you’d think so [regret it], he’s absolutely flying.

“He’s a natural goalscorer at a Swindon side which plays the type of football that is easy on the eye, allows him to be in positions to be effective in a football match.

“To be on-loan from a side which is just a couple of places underneath you and just three points behind, it is a strange one.

“Sometimes, it’s not a straight-forward footballing decision, whether the wages are structured in a certain way or the personalities of the personnel involved, or that being away and being in a different setup is what is involved.

“What Bradford have deemed to be not necessary to them, Swindon have welcomed with open arms and are reaping the benefits.”

The Verdict

Bradford will certainly be wondering where this player has been all the time he was at the club, with his current scintillating form seeing Swindon sit above his parent club at the top of League Two.

Prutton is right that there are more factors than just a player’s ability to take into account, whether it be financial or personal decisions, but there will be a huge level of regret at the Utilita Energy Stadium if Doyle’s form sees Swindon promoted.