609 Alan Taylor

Biography

Alan Taylor was an experienced winger and striker who joined Hull City in January 1984 following the end of his contract in Canada with NASL side Vancouver Whitecaps. He played an important support role for Colin Appleton’s Tigers as they attempted to win a second consecutive promotion out of Division Three, only to fall a goal short of their target when needing a 3-0 win at Burnley in the last game of the season. He scored seven goals in his four months at the club, four of which were netted in the inaugural Associate Members’ Cup that saw City reached the Final only to lose 2-1 to Bournemouth – this was Taylor’s last game for the Tigers. His three League goals were all scored in City victories – a 3-1 win over Bournemouth, a 3-0 win over Preston North End and the only goal of a tight game against Exeter City. At the end of the season Appleton had left and Taylor was not offered a longer contract by new boss Brian Horton.

Born in the Leicestershire market town of Hinckley, Taylor’s family moved to Bolton-le-Sands, a small town four miles north of Lancaster during the mid-1960s. By the age of 14 Taylor was training with the youth team at Preston North End but wasn’t offered an apprenticeship and briefly joined the youth team at Lancaster City. In the summer of 1970 the teenage Taylor joined Northern Premier League side Morecambe, after serving time in the Reserves Alan’s pace and shooting ability attracted the attention of the first team setup and in August 1972 he scored his first goal for the senior side. With Morecambe climbing the League table by Christmas, Taylor was netting regularly and in January 1973 he scored a hattrick in an FA Trophy tie against Bradford Park Avenue. Often playing in front of scouts from big clubs such as Liverpool and Arsenal, Taylor continued to thrive as the 1972/73 season wore on as Morecambe’s brief title challenge fell away.

In May 1973 Division Three side Rochdale stole the march on bigger clubs and signed Taylor – having earlier offered £1,000 and been turned down, it was suggested the Dale had paid £2,500 for Taylor’s transfer. Rochdale were managed by Walter Joyce, father of future player and manager Warren Joyce, and Taylor was slotted straight into the first team, making an August 1973 debut against Brighton & Hove Albion then scoring his first senior goals four days later against Hartlepool United. The Spotland side struggled at the foot of the table during the 1973/74 season and Taylor contributed three goals as Rochdale were relegated to Division Four. At this lower level Taylor thrived and netted seven times – including a September 1974 brace against Darlington – during the 1974/75 season as Rochdale consolidated in mid-table. By mid-November 1974 Taylor had scored ten goals in 64 appearances for Rochdale, missing a November 1974 FA Cup tie against Marine due to a knock.

Days later Roy Greenwood, manager of Division One side West Ham United, swooped and signed the relatively unknown Taylor for £40,000 – his anonymity would not last long. He made his Hammers debut when coming off the bench in December 1974 against Leeds United. In March 1975 he was handed his second start for West Ham and rewarded Greenwood with two goals in an FA Cup Sixth Round victory against Arsenal – it was the injury suffered four months earlier ahead of Rochdale’s clash with Marine that meant Taylor was not cup-tied and could play for the Hammers. He scored another brace in the FA Cup semi-final replay against Ipswich Town then came to international prominence when he scored both goals in the 1975 FA Cup Final 2-0 victory over Fulham.

Now a fully established member of West Ham’s first team, Taylor maintained his form at the start of the 1975/76 season, scoring five goals in his first three League games and in October 1975 scoring in both European Cup Winners Cup legs against Armenian side Ararat Yerevan. In March 1976 Taylor scored the opening goal in the Cup Winners Cup semi-final second leg against Dutch side Den Haag, which the Hammers won on away goals. The May 1976 final against Belgian side Anderlecht saw the Hammers swept aside 4-2 with Taylor coming off the bench. Nineteen months after turning out for Rochdale, Alan was a European finalist and a regular top flight goalscorer, scoring seventeen goals in all competitions. Taylor remained an important part of West Ham’s first team during the 1976/77 season but in the following two seasons he was used less frequently as injuries hampered his availability and West Ham dropped into Division Two. By the end of the 1978/79 season Taylor had scored 36 goals for West Ham United in 124 appearances.

In August 1979 Taylor joined Division One side Norwich City, returning to top flight football. He scored six goals in the first half of the season but his form faded in the new year and he ended the season with seven goals in 28 appearances. It was during this season at Carrow Road that Taylor set up home in Norfolk, where he was based for many years to come.

In July 1980 Taylor showed his adventurous streak when he joined North American Soccer League side Vancouver Whitecaps, a fee of £90,000 sealing the move. Joining the Canadian side midway through the season, which was played in the summer months, Taylor managed just eight goalless appearances for his new side. In October 1980 Taylor made a surprise return to England when ambitious Division Two side Cambridge United parted with £150,000 for his services. It was reported at the time that the fee may have been cover for a loan move from an overseas side, which had been outlawed by the Football Association. Those suspicions grew when in February 1981, after three goals in 11 appearances for Cambridge, Taylor returned to Vancouver Whitecaps for an identical £150,000 fee. After scoring eleven goals for the Whitecaps during the 1981 season Taylor repeated his winter move to the Fenlands – between November 1981 and March 1982 he returned to Cambridge United, scoring a further two goals in 11 appearances before heading back to Canada. This time Taylor stayed in Vancouver for two more years and by the end of the 1983 season he had netted 21 times in 49 appearances for the Whitecaps. The 1983 season saw Whitecaps manager Johnny Giles prefer the forward options of Ray Hankin and Peter Beardsley and Taylor was sidelined, ending the season playing indoor six-a-side football for Tacoma Stars. In late December 1983 Taylor joined Hull City on a one month trial but it wasn’t until five weeks later that the international clearance was received that allowed him to sign a contract and join the first team.

Having left Hull City, Taylor signed for Division Three side Burnley in June 1984 – the side that had denied the Tigers promotion a few weeks earlier – and at Turf Moor he rediscovered his goalscoring form. During the 1984/85 season he netted eleven times including a November 1984 FA Cup hattrick against Penrith, then during the 1985/86 season Alan rolled back the years and scored 21 goals as the Clarets finished midway up Division Four. Taylor was handed a free transfer by Burnley in May 1986 after an impressive 32 goals in 75 appearances.

In July 1986 Taylor joined Division Three side Bury and enjoyed another two years in the first team, scoring thirteen goals in 78 appearances before being handed a free transfer in May 1988. Returning to Norfolk, Taylor had several months out of the game before rejoining Division One side Norwich City in November 1988 on a short term deal that came about after an injury crisis. In November 1988 he returned to Division One action against Sheffield Wednesday, eight and a half years after his previous top flight match. He scored once in 6 appearances for Norwich City before leaving the club again in the 1989 close season and ending his senior career.

In August 1989 he joined Southern League side Bury Town but within a month he had been released and joined Eastern Counties League side Thetford Town. He served Thetford for two seasons, becoming player/assistant manager before leaving the club in July 1991 to focus on the Dairy Crest milk delivery franchise he had recently taken over. By 1995 he had swapped gold tops for red tops, owning a newsagent shop in Norwich, and later worked as a pall bearer for a funeral director while also schmoozing in the matchday corporate lounges at West Ham United.

Details

Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 14 November 1953, Hinckley
Hull City First Game: 4 February 1984, Wigan Athletic H (Division Three), 30 years, 82 days old
Hull City Final Game: 24 May 1984, Bournemouth H (Associate Members’ Cup Final), 30 years, 192 days old

Clubs

Lancaster City (1969-1970), Morecambe (1970-1973), Rochdale (1973-1974), West Ham United (1974-1979), Norwich City (1979-1980), Vancouver Whitecaps (1980), Cambridge United (1980-1981), Vancouver Whitecaps (1981-1982), Cambridge United (1981-1982), Vancouver Whitecaps (1982-1984), Hull City (1984), Burnley (1984-1986), Bury (1986-1988), Norwich City (1988-1989), Bury Town (1989), Thetford Town (1989-1991)

Hull City Record

Career: 20 apps, 7 goals