Matthew Taylor (footballer)

Matthew Simon Taylor (born 27 November 1981) is an English former professional footballer and coach who played as a midfielder, most recently for League One club Swindon Town. He previously played for Luton Town, Portsmouth, Bolton Wanderers, West Ham United, Burnley and Northampton Town.

Matthew Taylor
Taylor playing for West Ham United in 2012
Personal information
Full name Matthew Simon Taylor[1]
Date of birth (1981-11-27) 27 November 1981[2]
Place of birth Oxford, England
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[3]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
0000–1999 Luton Town
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2002 Luton Town 129 (16)
2002–2008 Portsmouth 178 (23)
2008–2011 Bolton Wanderers 123 (23)
2011–2014 West Ham United 76 (2)
2014–2016 Burnley 37 (4)
2016–2017 Northampton Town 44 (7)
2017–2019 Swindon Town 71 (9)
Total 658 (84)
National team
2002–2003 England U21 3 (0)
Teams managed
2018 Swindon Town (interim)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Luton Town

Taylor was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire.[2] He began his career at Luton Town, making his debut as a 17-year-old at the beginning of the 1999–2000 season. He soon made the left wing-back slot his own and won the Luton Young Player of the Season award in his first ever season as a professional,[4] before he won the Player of the Season award in 2000–01.[5]

Portsmouth

His displays led to interest from Premier League clubs, but he instead decided, in July 2002, to sign for First Division team Portsmouth for £750,000.[6] The fee was set averting the need for a tribunal, causing Luton manager Joe Kinnear to lament: "at least Dick Turpin had the decency to wear a mask".[7]

Usually playing as a left wing-back in a 3–5–2 formation, his speedy breaks down the left flank in support of the attack were a feature of Portsmouth's play as they won the First Division title in May 2003. As well as being a regular in the team during the season, he also scored seven goals in the League.

An injury picked up in the later stages of the previous season meant that Taylor was unavailable for the start of Portsmouth's first Premiership season. After returning to fitness, Taylor struggled to win his place in the side back due to the side's good early season form and Harry Redknapp's switch to the 4–4–2 formation. Taylor eventually won a place in the Pompey team at left back, where he was a regular in the second half of the 2003–04 season and appeared to be regaining form. Despite failing to score a league goal in his Premiership debut season, Taylor did hit the equaliser in an FA Cup tie at Anfield on 15 February 2004, when he ran the length of the pitch to celebrate with the supporters after a forceful right-footed finish at the Kop End.

Taylor's first Premiership goal came against Middlesbrough on 1 February 2005.[8] The summer signing of David Unsworth from Everton meant Taylor only became a regular in the side in the second half of the season.

New manager Alain Perrin utilised Taylor as a left midfielder during the 2005–06 season. On 29 October 2005, he scored from 40 yards at Sunderland's Stadium of Light, winning the BBC Goal of the Month.[9] Spotting the goalkeeper Kelvin Davis off his line, Taylor hit a dipping left-footed half-volley over Davis' head and into the back of the net. Portsmouth had been trailing Sunderland 1–0 in the crucial "six pointer" but Taylor inspired a second half comeback with two goals and two assists in a 4–1 victory.[10] When Harry Redknapp returned, Taylor initially retained his attacking role but the arrival of Andrés D'Alessandro on loan and Redknapp's disapproval of Perrin's left-back, Grégory Vignal, meant that Taylor returned to full-back for the latter stages of the season. 2005–06 could be considered Taylor's breakthrough season as a Premiership footballer. In all he played 34 league games, scoring six goals. Two of these were crucial penalties; one in the last minute against Sunderland to secure a 2–1 win, and another in an away game at Wigan Athletic on 29 April 2006 to clinch another 2–1 win and survival from relegation.

His good form for Portsmouth attracted interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham, but he signed a long term contract with Portsmouth in July 2006.[11] In the 2006–07 season, Taylor was a regular in the Portsmouth side on the left of midfield. Despite the team's good form, it took until early December for him to score his first league goal, in a game against Aston Villa.[12][13] He then added a second from the penalty spot in the same match before going on to score spectacular volleys in the next two games against Everton and Arsenal.[14][15]

His first-half goal against Manchester United at Fratton Park in April 2007 sent Portsmouth on their way to a 2–1 victory over the Premier League champions. His final goal for Portsmouth was a penalty kick in August 2007, in a 3–1 win over Bolton Wanderers, the club he moved to five months later.

Bolton Wanderers

Taylor training with West Ham United in 2012

After losing his place in the Portsmouth team to Niko Kranjčar in the first half of the 2007–08 season, Taylor moved to Bolton Wanderers on 17 January 2008 for an undisclosed fee, after rejecting an offer from Sunderland.[16] On 29 March 2008, Taylor scored his first goals for Bolton with a brace in the 3–2 home defeat to Arsenal.[17] On 11 May 2008, Taylor scored his first away goal for Bolton with a last minute equaliser, gaining Bolton a 1–1 draw against Chelsea on the last day of the 2007–08 Premier League season.[17] In July 2008, having previously worn number 32, Taylor was given the number 7 shirt previously worn by Stelios Giannakopoulos. Taylor scored the 50th goal of his career in a 3–1 win at West Ham United on 5 October 2008[18] and reached double figures in the league for the first time when scoring against Chelsea on 11 April 2009.[19] In July 2009, he signed a new long term contract at Bolton Wanderers. In the 2009–10 season, after the Blackburn Rovers game blood tests showed that Taylor had developed glandular fever.[20]

West Ham United

On 23 July 2011, Taylor signed for West Ham United for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract.[21] He made his competitive debut on 7 August 2011 in 1–0 home defeat to Cardiff City[22] and scored his first goal in West Ham's 4–3 win over his former club, Portsmouth, on 10 September.[23]

Burnley

On 4 July 2014, newly promoted Premier League club Burnley confirmed that they had signed Taylor from West Ham United on a two-year deal, on a free transfer.[24] Taylor played in Burnley's first three games of the 2014–15 season but sustained an Achilles' heel injury for which he underwent surgery in October 2014.[25] Taylor returned to the first team on 11 April 2015, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–0 home defeat to Arsenal.[26] In his third game back, he missed a penalty kick which would have put Burnley 1–0 up in an important game against Leicester City to avoid relegation from the Premier League. Leicester won the game 1–0 scoring 59 seconds after Taylor had missed his penalty.[27]

Taylor was released by Burnley at the end of 2015–16 season after making 27 appearances, scoring four goals.[28]

Northampton Town

On 1 August 2016, Taylor signed for newly promoted League One club Northampton Town on a one-year contract.[29] He debuted on the opening day of 2016–17 in a 1–1 draw at home to Fleetwood Town.[30] His first goal for Northampton came from a 20-yard free kick in a 3–2 victory at home to Milton Keynes Dons on 4 September, and this was followed up with a goal in the following match, a 2–0 win at home to Walsall.[30][31] Taylor finished the season with 48 appearances and eight goals,[30] and signed a one-year contract extension after a clause in his contract was triggered.[32]

Swindon Town

On 22 August 2017, Taylor signed for League Two club Swindon Town on a one-year contract.[33] Four days later, Taylor made his debut during Swindon's 3–0 home defeat against Crawley Town, replacing Amine Linganzi in the 53rd minute.[34] On 22 September 2017, Taylor scored his first goal for Swindon in their 2–0 away victory over newly promoted Forest Green Rovers, doubling the visitors lead in the 91st minute.[35]

On 6 June 2018, Taylor signed a new one-year deal with Swindon, agreeing to continue his player/coach role.[36] In March 2019, Taylor announced his intention to retire from football at the end of the 2018-19 season.[37]

Coaching career

Taylor was named interim manager of Swindon Town on 1 March 2018, following the resignation of David Flitcroft,[38][39] and was in charge for the 3–0 home defeat to Cheltenham Town on 10 March.[40] Following the appointment of Phil Brown as manager on 12 March, Taylor took up the role of player-coach at the club.[41] On 8 July 2019, Taylor was appointed the coach for the U-18s side of Tottenham Hotspur.[42]

Career statistics

As of end of 2018–19 season
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Luton Town 1999–2000[43] Second Division 414511000475
2000–01[44] Second Division 45140401[lower-alpha 1]0541
2001–02[45] Third Division 43111010004511
Total 12916101601014617
Portsmouth 2002–03[46] First Division 3571020387
2003–04[47] Premier League 3005331384
2004–05[48] Premier League 3111040361
2005–06[49] Premier League 3462011377
2006–07[13] Premier League 3582021399
2007–08[17] Premier League 1310020151
Total 1782311314320329
Bolton Wanderers 2007–08[17] Premier League 1633[lower-alpha 2]0193
2008–09[50] Premier League 341010003510
2009–10[51] Premier League 3783030438
2010–11[52] Premier League 3624020422
Total 1232380503013923
West Ham United 2011–12[53] Championship 28100103[lower-alpha 3]0321
2012–13[54] Premier League 2812020321
2013–14[55] Premier League 2000061261
Total 762209130903
Burnley 2014–15[56] Premier League 1000010110
2015–16[57] Championship 2740010284
Total 3740020394
Northampton Town 2016–17[30] League One 437213000488
2017–18[58] League One 100010
Total 447213000498
Swindon Town 2017–18[58] League Two 386211[lower-alpha 4]0417
2018–19[59] League Two 333101000353
Total 7193110107610
Career total 658843664048074294
  1. Appearance in Football League Trophy
  2. Appearances in UEFA Cup
  3. Appearances in Championship play-offs
  4. Appearance in EFL Trophy

Managerial statistics

As of 12 March 2018
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record Ref.
PWDLWin %
Swindon Town (interim) 1 March 2018 12 March 2018 1 0 0 1 000.0 [38][41][60]
Total 1 0 0 1 000.0

Honours

Portsmouth

West Ham United

Burnley

Individual

References

  1. "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2018" (PDF). English Football League. p. 90. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  2. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 401. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
  3. "Matthew Taylor". Swindon Town F.C. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  4. "Gary's at the double". Luton Today. 3 May 2000. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  5. "Taylor steals the show". Luton Today. 2 May 2001. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  6. "Pompey seal Taylor switch". BBC Sport. 3 July 2002. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
  7. Burt, Jason (20 December 2003). "Taylor fights to keep career and Portsmouth afloat". The Independent. London. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  8. "Portsmouth 2–1 Middlesbrough". BBC Sport. 1 February 2005. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
  9. "Goal of the Month". BBC Sport. 16 May 2006. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  10. "Sunderland 1–4 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. 29 October 2005. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  11. "Pompey pair agree long-term deals". BBC Sport. 4 July 2006. Retrieved 19 January 2008.
  12. "Portsmouth 2 Aston Villa 2: Angel swoops in to deny Pompey a Taylor-made victory". The Independent. London. 3 December 2006. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  13. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  14. "Portsmouth 2–0 Everton". BBC Sport. 10 December 2006. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  15. McNulty, Phil (16 December 2006). "Arsenal 2–2 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  16. O'Rourke, Peter (17 January 2008). "Taylor makes Bolton move". Sky Sports. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  17. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  18. Hughes, Ian (5 October 2008). "West Ham 1–3 Bolton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  19. "Matthew Taylor". Premier League. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  20. "Illness affected my form – Taylor". BBC Sport. 19 April 2010. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  21. "West Ham sign Bolton midfielder Matt Taylor". BBC Sport. 23 July 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  22. Da Silva, Michael (7 August 2011). "West Ham 0–1 Cardiff". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  23. "West Ham 4–3 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. 10 September 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  24. "Clarets lay out the welcome Matt". Burnley F.C. 4 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  25. "Taylor goes under the knife to fix Achilles problem". Lancashire Telegraph. Blackburn. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  26. Bevan, Chris (11 April 2015). "Burnley 0–1 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  27. Whalley, Mike (25 April 2015). "Burnley 0–1 Leicester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  28. Marshall, Tyrone (23 May 2016). "Paul Robinson offered new contract by Burnley but Gilks, Taylor and Dyer leave Turf Moor". Lancashire Telegraph. Blackburn. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  29. "Matt Taylor: Northampton Town sign ex-Portsmouth, West Ham & Burnley midfielder". BBC Sport. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  30. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  31. "Northampton Town 3–2 Milton Keynes Dons". BBC Sport. 4 September 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  32. "Matty Taylor signs new Northampton deal as five are released". Sky Sports. 2 May 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  33. "Matt Taylor: Swindon Town sign midfielder from Northampton". BBC Sport. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  34. "Swindon Town vs. Crawley Town". Soccerway. 26 August 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  35. "Forest Green Rovers vs. Swindon Town". Soccerway. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  36. "He's Back! Taylor Returns". Swindon Town Official Site. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  37. "David Flitcroft leaves Swindon to take charge at Mansfield". Sky Sports. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  38. "Swindon Town: Interim boss Matt Taylor determined to maintain promotion push". BBC Sport. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  39. "Swindon Town 0–3 Cheltenham Town". BBC Sport. 10 March 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  40. "Phil Brown named Swindon boss until the end of the season". Sky Sports. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  41. Abbott, Harry (8 July 2019). "Former Swindon Town defender Matt Taylor joins Tottenham Hotspur's coaching staff following retirement as a player". Swindon Advertiser.
  42. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  43. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  44. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  45. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  46. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  47. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  48. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  49. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  50. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  51. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  52. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  53. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  54. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  55. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  56. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  57. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  58. "Games played by Matthew Taylor in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  59. "Swindon: Results/matches: 2017/18". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  60. "M. Taylor". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  61. "Taylor named Player of the Year".
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