By Chris Bailey
MATT Taylor has racked up hundreds of miles on both the pitch and the motorway – now the Premier League veteran is ready to reset the clock by starting afresh with Northampton.
Taylor's name may not carry the same weight as a Gareth Bale or a Ryan Giggs, but the left-footer's howitzers are enshrined in Premier League annals after his exploits with Portsmouth, Bolton and, most recently, West Ham.
The 34-year-old drew a line under that part of his career, however, after helping Burnley bounce back to the top flight at the first time of asking last season.
Though he had offers from several Championship sides based in the north, moving closer to his young Oxford-based family – coupled with avoiding more hours stuck on the M6 – was the overriding priority.
It had been a lonely summer for the most part before a word in the ear to Cobblers boss Rob Page from Sean Dyche set wheels in motion for a one-year deal that was eventually completed last week.
“I came into training for a few days and had a chat with the manager and the chairman (Kelvin Thomas) – I was impressed with their ambition and, first and foremost, them as people,” he said. “The link came from Sean Dyche, he still lives in the area and he spoke to the manager, so the move became an option for me.
“I hadn't thought of Northampton before speaking to Sean, but he knew Rob and it was a case of if I could come in and train to get a feel. I had a hard pre-season on my own, I'd had a couple of offers in the north of England but as I live in Oxford I didn't want to travel. It's a great fit, it allows me to play some football but also to be at home and spend time with my family.
“I didn't start a huge amount of games last season and it was a common sense decision really. Sean had been brilliant for me and I think I'd done quite well for him, he's a good guy who looks out for his players.
“At Burnley I stayed half the week with my family before driving up and he was very accommodating, but at this stage of my life, being with them is important.”
The fact the Cobblers managed to win League Two after overcoming financial turmoil last season means the midfielder believes he's chosen wisely.
“I can only imagine what the staff members were going through after going unpaid,” he said.
“But since I've been here I can tell the club's extremely well-run, the facilities are second to none and there's a fantastic group of people involved. And if you've got players and staff who can cope through such adverse conditions and come out the other side, it knits them together as a unit. They are all playing for each other.
“I've still got a deep, burning desire to play as much football as possible. I'm in as good a physical condition now as I ever have been.
“If I can help this team go further then I'll do all I can.”
*This story originally featured in The FLP on 7 August 2016.
