Towards the end of his loan spell, Doyle expressed a desire to remain at the club and hoped Bradford could reach an agreement with Derby to extend his stay. However, this appeared to be in jeopardy after it was believed he had sustained a knee ligament injury during a 1–0 defeat at home to Doncaster Rovers on 26 December 2006, potentially ruling him out for up to three months. A hospital scan proved otherwise and Doyle was able to return to training later that week. At the same time, manager Colin Todd claimed Doyle's loan had been extended for the rest of the season. However, it emerged this was not the case and the deal was an emergency one-month loan until 3 February 2007. Todd expected an extension until the end of the season to be completed before the end of the transfer window after an agreement with Derby manager Billy Davies. A turn of events scuppered any chance of a deal after Hull City made a deadline day bid for Doyle, resulting in him being recalled by Derby, having made 33 appearances in all competitions during his time at Bradford City.