After Birmingham were relegated at the end of the season, the club took up their option of an extra year on Doyle's contract, despite accusations of inappropriate late-night drinking after the club's end-of-season dinner. He made 16 appearances in the 2011–12 season, including three matches in Birmingham's UEFA Europa League campaign, and both legs of the Championship play-off semi-final. He made an error in a 2–1 win over Maribor, where he misjudged a pass from Jonathan Spector to allow Dalibor Volaš to score the match's opening goal. In the FA Cup, Doyle saved two penalties from Juan Mata in the FA Cup; one in the initial fifth-round match, which finished 1–1, and one in the replay, which ended in a 2–0 defeat. His performance in the initial match against Chelsea resulted in him being named as the man of the match. At the end of the season, he received a special award for completing ten senior seasons with the club, extended to an eleventh when he signed a one-year contract, despite expectations that youngster Jack Butland might be first choice goalkeeper.
