As he'll concede himself, Kevin Doyle has surprised practically everyone with the speed and subsequent ease of transition he has made in becoming a senior Republic of Ireland international.
His father, though, knew a good thing when he saw it and now stands to bolster his bank balance considerably should his son play at any stage in tonight's European qualifier against Germany.
Two years ago, while Doyle was plying his trade with Cork City and dabbling with the Irish under-21s, he backed his son at 100/1 to play a competitive senior game for his country.
The wager is not thought to be quite as hefty as the one placed by the Kirland family on their goalkeeper son Chris but a tidy figure nonetheless.
Twelve years ago Eddie Kirkland backed his son, now 25, to earn a senior England cap before his 30th birthday and duly collected £10,000 following the recent 4-0 friendly win over Greece at Old Trafford.
And bookmakers here could well be wincing too. Time at Reading, brief as it has been, has accelerated Doyle's progression dramatically and the 23-year-old can expect to partner Robbie Keane in Stuttgart.
"My Dad's just hoping I get a minute on the pitch," laughs the striker who has made three friendly appearances under Steve Staunton.
"My brother-in-law also has the bet as does his mate, so there's three people looking to get a few quid out of it. I don't know what made them do it to be honest, maybe I had scored for the under-21s or something like that but they didn't actually tell me about it until I moved to Reading."
Doyle scoffs at suggestions he should have availed of the generous odds himself, choosing instead to illustrate what hard graft, a smidgen of self-belief and a shade of good fortune can do for one's career.
Belief is not something he lacks but neither should this desire to succeed be construed as cockiness. Mature beyond his years, if he's bewildered by his sudden assent to the big-time it doesn't show.
After leaving Cork for a song, he spearheaded Reading's assault on the Championship, scoring 18 goals as Steve Coppell's men ran away with the title. The ensuing razzmatazz of the Premiership hasn't derailed him either and, indeed, he wasted little time opening his goal account for the season.
"Players are definitely that bit stronger and quicker in the Premiership," he says, "but in the first two games (against Middlesbrough and Aston Villa) I got into the match as much as I would have done in the Championship.
"We were then chatting among the lads afterwards wondering if anyone felt out of their depth and we all said no, it's just a nice league to play in. We've got time on the ball, perhaps even more so than last year."
It was a "relief", he says, to get off the mark in the defeat at Villa. After scoring inside four minutes he couldn't restrain his emotion at scoring in the top flight and ran the gauntlet somewhat by celebrating in front of the incensed home support.
"I didn't feel like sprinting down the other end of the pitch to celebrate with our support so I slid down in front of the Villa fans," he recalls. "I actually got plenty of abuse so thought it best to get out of there as quickly as possible . . . but knowing you can score in that league is a nice feeling."
Scoring in Stuttgart would be even sweeter. He has yet to find the net in his three appearances but his form of late suggests it wont be long before he sets the record straight. Cementing a regular starting role, however, is his more immediate priority.
Against the Dutch, when introduced as a second half substitute, he impressed. Busy and bustling, harrying and harassing, the Wexford man gave Staunton plenty to mull over and is now comfortably ahead of fellow strikers Clinton Morrison and Stephen Elliott in the pecking order.
"That game wasn't a great experience, of course not, but it wakes you up a bit and shows that not everything will be rosy," he says of the humiliating 4-0 defeat. "It's given us a kick in the arse . . . every little thing that can give us a lift away from home and in front of a big crowd will give us an edge."
