COLIN Doyle insists City have everything to play for after resurrecting their play-off push.

Doyle kept the first clean sheet in four months – less than 24 hours after appearing for the Republic of Ireland in Turkey.

His jet-setting heroics helped City finally end their 11-game winless run with victory over Gillingham.

And with other results going their way, Simon Grayson’s side jumped to within four points of the top six.

Doyle believes the mood has lifted just in time for Thursday’s televised trip to high-flying Blackburn.

He said: “We’ve got nine games left and we’re four points outside the play-offs. It is all to play for.

“We needed this win. If we hadn’t then you’d be thinking, ‘this is not going to happen’.

“We would have gone to Blackburn next not feeling great. We have that win now, it brings belief and confidence.”

Doyle had barely two hours' sleep before the game after flights from Turkey to Ireland and then in to Leeds early on Saturday morning.

Grayson had back-up keepers Lukas Raeder and Rouven Sattelmaier on stand-by but the Irishman was determined not to miss out.

He added: “I’d phoned Banksy (goalkeeping coach Steve Banks) and said I would give it a go because I would be buzzing from adrenalin.

"I did not feel the best in the final 20 minutes. My legs had seized up and I couldn’t really move.

“Credit to the lads in front, they put their heads on the line and got the blocks in. We got the win we needed.

“We had that bit of luck as well when somehow, their lad missed it at the back post in the last minute.

“Maybe it just didn’t bounce up for him on that pitch. (Groundsman) Mick (Doyle) has done well there – it is about time he did something right!”

Doyle flew out of Antalya with the Irish team at 10.30pm on Friday. After an hour’s stop in Zagreb in Croatia to refuel, they arrived in Dublin at dawn.

After a short break at a hotel for breakfast, he was back in the air at 8am for Leeds before finding time for a quick rest at home.

“If I keep clean sheets, I might have to fly to Zagreb every week,” he laughed. “I’m sure the chairman would pay for it.”

It was City’s second shut-out against Gillingham but they had not stopped an opponent from scoring since the 1-0 win at leaders Shrewsbury on November 25.

“Let’s hope it’s like a bus when they come along and we get another on Thursday night,” said Grayson.

“You saw there was a spirit about the players and they were determined to prove one or two people wrong. The season isn’t dead and buried.”

Asked if he’d ever played back-to-back like that before, Doyle said: “I probably played Gaelic football or hurling one day and then soccer the next.

“But it was different back then. There was no pressure and I felt fit as a fiddle.

“I wasn’t 32 or sat on a plane for seven hours in the middle or had two hours asleep.

“That said, it was a fantastic 24 hours for me. To get the win topped off a great day.

“We are in today but Banksy has already said to come in and just have a stretch on the spinning bike.

“We are also going for a swim but I won’t be doing any work outside.”