Kevin Kyle

While Wolves finished seventh, outside the play-offs, his move was not made permanent as Kyle said he would rather return to Coventry, who finished a point clear of the relegation positions in 21st, in the summer.

Kevin Alastair Kyle (born 7 June 1981) is a Scottish retired footballer and media personality who played as a centre forward.

He played for eleven senior clubs in his career.

Kyle gained ten full Scotland international caps and scored one goal.

After starting as a youngster at Ayr United, Kyle began his professional career with Sunderland, where he had been in the youth team.

He remained at the Stadium of Light for six years, making 91 appearances in the Football League, scoring 17 goals.

Kyle began his career as a youth at Ayr United before joining Sunderland in 1998, where he was a prolific scorer for their reserves.

However, he was unable to force his way into a first team that boasted the striking talent of Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn.

Instead, he gained first team experience on loan with Huddersfield, Darlington and Rochdale.

It was on loan at Darlington that Kyle scored his first career goals, notching against Sudbury in the FA Cup and Mansfield Town in the league.

After finally breaking into the Sunderland first team in the 2003–04 season he ended up as their joint top goalscorer with 16 goals to help them to the play-offs.

However, he missed most of the following season owing to a hip injury and his recovery was aided by visits to Bayern Munich doctor Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt and American hip surgeon Marc Phillipon.

He also made his debut for both the Scotland under−21s and its senior team during his time in the North East, as well as gaining promotion to the Premier League in 2004–05.

In 2006, he moved to Coventry City, for whom he made 44 league appearances and scored five goals.

He returned to first team action in February 2006, scoring his first and only Premier League goal in March 2006, away to Manchester City, in a season that saw Sunderland relegated on a then-record low points tally.

Kyle then joined Coventry City on 25 August 2006 for £600,000, but only went on to score three goals during the campaign.

He scored just two more.

Out of favour with the Sky Blues and despised by their fans, he traded a relegation battle with Coventry for a promotion push with a loan to fellow Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers during the latter half of the 2007–08 season, reuniting him with his former Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy.

He made 13 appearances, nine as substitute, scoring once against Crystal Palace.

After failing to feature at all during the opening stages of the next season for his parent club, he joined Hartlepool United on a month's loan on 1 October 2008.

The loan was later extended until the end of the year, and Kyle scored five goals in 15 starts.

In the games following the 2008–2009 season Scottish Premier League split, Kyle scored all of Kilmarnock's goals in a draw with Falkirk and victories against St Mirren and Inverness Caledonian Thistle thus helping the team secure 8th place and SPL survival.

He scored eight goals in total that season.

In 2009, Kyle signed for Kilmarnock, marking his professional debut in his homeland.

On 27 January 2009, Coventry announced that they had reached an agreement with Kyle over the remaining six months of his contract, and he had left the club by mutual consent.

Two days later, he signed for Kilmarnock on an 18-month contract.

On 31 January 2009 he scored a headed goal on his debut for Kilmarnock against St Mirren and this goal was also the first at the new St Mirren Park.

On 11 April he scored all three goals, his first ever professional hat-trick, in a 3–0 victory against Falkirk for which he received a standing ovation when he was substituted.

Kyle was praised for his part in keeping Killie in the SPL that season.

Kyle was made Kilmarnock club captain for the 2009–10 season.

He started where he left off by scoring twice in the opening day 3–0 home victory over Hamilton and his good form won him a recall to the Scotland squad after an absence of five years.

In the Scottish League Cup game against Morton (in which he also scored) he suffered a knee injury, sidelining him for three weeks and causing him to miss the final two World Cup qualifiers against Macedonia and the Netherlands on 5 and 10 September 2009.

After a year in East Ayrshire, during which he scored 16 goals, he signed for Hearts in 2010.

In two years at Tynecastle, Kyle scored seven goals in his 19 league appearances.

In January 2010, he relinquished the club captaincy following his involvement in the events that ultimately led to the departure of manager Jim Jefferies.

Kyle became unhappy at Kilmarnock and went on trial with Russian side PFC Spartak Nalchik with a view to join them at the end of the season when his current deal expired but rejected a move.

In 2012, Kyle joined Rangers, where he made eight league appearances and scored three goals, and won the Third Division title as the club began its climb back to top tier.

He finished his career back at Ayr United in 2013, aged 32, and retired the following year.

Kyle was born and grew up in Stranraer, Scotland where as well as playing for his school team and local amateur sides he was selected to play for Dumfries and Galloway region.

Also in the same Dumfries and Galloway team was fellow Stranraer boy Allan Jenkins.