Former EFL player takes coaching role and signs for 6th tier club in hope of keeping them up

Former EFL player Matty Taylor takes a coaching role at Oxford United and signs for 6th tier club Oxford City in the hope of keeping them up.

The 35 year old turns to his former club, Oxford United, to coach their academy, while also hoping to keep Oxford City in the National League North.

Oxford City currently sit 21st in the table, with 31 points from 33 games played, 2 points from safety. Alfreton are 22nd with 29 points from 29 games played. Hereford are 23rd with 29 points from 27 games played.

OXFORD CITY STATEMENT:

Oxford City FC are delighted to announce the signing of striker Matty Taylor. 

A vastly experienced striker who needs no introduction to football fans in Oxford, Taylor has made over 572 career appearances in a hugely successful career which continues at The Group Stadium.

The forward is approaching 200 career goals in all competitions, with 121 of those coming in the EFL from League Two through to the Championship.

Oxford City Manager Ross Jenkins added: “Matty has a wealth of experience that will help our younger players in the group. 

“He’s scored plenty of goals at different levels so he knows where the goal is. 

“Getting Matty up to speed quickly will give us a boost for sure.”

The striker began his career across the City with Oxford United in the National League before spending time with a range of clubs on loan. 

From there, he moved to Forest Green Rovers, back in the National League, where he made over 100 appearances for the side.

Following a loan spell at Chester, Taylor signed for Bristol Rovers where his career would truly take off. He helped Rovers achieve promotion back to the Football League through the playoffs, scoring 21 goals in his debut season.

Promotion followed the following season too, and it was a fruitful one for Taylor, who scored 28 goals in all competitions as Rovers progressed through League Two with Taylor finishing the season as the league’s top scorer and named in the PFA Team of the Season. 

The following season, Taylor scored 16 goals in 27 league starts before he became one of the rare players to move directly across the city to Rovers’ arch-rivals Bristol City. 

Taylor made 75 appearances for Bristol City, contributing eight goals and 13 assists at Ashton Gate whilst playing a big part in the Robins’ side that reached the League Cup Semi-Final stage in 2017/18.

He returned to Oxford United on loan in 2019, scoring 13 goals in 26 appearances before making the move permanent in 2020. 

A further 112 appearances and 41 goals over two and a half seasons later, Taylor firmly asserted himself as a cult hero with the Yellows finishing as the club’s top scorer in three successive campaigns. 

He joined Port Vale on a short-loan spell before rejoining Forest Green Rovers and then Cheltenham Town. 

Another impressive spell at Whaddon Road ended before Taylor returned to non-league football in the summer when he joined Salisbury. 

Now though, he’s back in Oxford with the Hoops. A local lad, playing for another one of his home-town clubs. He’s not done just yet! 

Welcome to Oxford City, Matty. 

Interviewer for Oxford City: Matty, welcome to Oxford City. We’re just having a little chat off camera actually about, you know, you’re a local lad, you play for Oxford United of course, but you’ve also played for North Leigh, Abingdon, and you know, you’re an Oxford lad, you’re back in Oxford, how happy are you to be here?

Matty: Yeah, obviously I’m delighted to be here, obviously from the area, know it well, been down here many a times, trained, watched games, my mates play here over the years, so yeah, it’s um, it’s nice to be here, can’t wait to get on the pitch and get started, help the team.

Interviewer: Yeah, let’s, let’s talk about that, you know, your mates, you know a few lads, that’s the best thing about being from Oxford, is that going to help you, you know, settling in?

Matty: Yeah, hopefully, it’s, it’s easy when you know, people in the dressing room, it’s not like first day at school sometimes, but yeah, obviously it’s nice to be able to see a few friendly, friendly faces, and yeah, like I said, there’s not long left of the season, so it’s, you know, don’t have that sort of bonding time and stuff, so I’ll be straight into the thicker things and, trying to win games of football.

Interviewer: Yeah, absolutely, you know, the season, we can’t beat around the bush, we’re in a relegation and scrap at the moment, and, you know, coming in to galvanise the team is something I imagine you’ll be looking to do, very quickly, you know the lads, like you say, you know the place, you just mentioned there about, you know, it’s going to help you with 14 games to go to get settled in, are you quite surprised to see, you know, that we’re in the position we’re in when you, you know the personnel that are there already?

Matty: Yeah, definitely, been to watch a couple of games this season, to be fair, but my lad loves football, and yeah, you, I think both games are really unlucky, like, but that’s football, isn’t it, like, you can see goals at times, bad times, I think there was a missed penalty one game, but yeah, football is random, that’s why we love it, but yeah, ultimately there’s, like you said, 13, 14 games left, need to win games of football, it’s a ruthless sport, so it doesn’t matter how you get the points, you just got to get them, get the job done, and get the wins on the board, and I’m positive now that we’ll, we’ll get enough to the end of the season to be all right.

Interviewer: Yeah, exactly, we’ve got a young team as well, so adding yourself, and you know, I think, you know, you’ve got Josh Parker, Josh Ashby, Zac McEachran, Alfie Potter, a real core of the team, really adds to the squad, but when you look at, you know, your career today, I don’t want to dig up too much here, but you’ve scored goals wherever you’ve been, and that’s something that I imagine you’ll be looking to do straight away, how much are you looking forward to getting back on the pitch? Obviously, you just left Salisbury, you come in here, back home, how much are you looking forward to actually, like, stepping back onto the grass, and, you know, getting that feel again, and, and helping score some goals that really matter here, and getting us out of the situation we’re in?

Matty: Yeah, I mean, for me, like, that’s, that’s why you start football, isn’t it? You just want to be on the pitch, as a striker, you want to be scoring goals, no better feeling, so, yeah, if I can do that from now until the end of the season,, along with the wins as well, which is obviously the most important thing, then, then, yeah, I’ll be obviously delighted, but yeah, like I said, I’d sacrifice the goals for the wins, it’s the situation we’re in as well, I know, sounds a bit stupid for a striker, but you’re winning the football, and then if I can add goals, obviously, add my experience to the team, then, then great, and then, yeah, like I said, hopefully, I’m positive that we’ll get enough points to obviously stay in the league.

Interviewer: I think it would be amiss to not mention, you know, the connection with Oxford United, you know, you’re a real cup hero over there, I mean, I’m not personally an Oxford United fan, but, you know, I’m surrounded by them, and they all, you know, talk about you very fondly, you know, and you’ve gone back there to do some coaching, it’s nice as well that, you know, you’re coming back home if you like, and there’s a nice connection there between both clubs, where you’re going to do coaching with the academy, and then come here, because you’re not done yet with your playing though, that’s the thing, isn’t it, you’re not just, you know, stopping playing and coaching, you’re not quite done yet, are you?

Matty: No, definitely not, definitely not, I still, I still feel good, and I still feel I’ve got plenty to offer on, on the pitch, obviously, coaching side, that’s kind of a natural progression, after you do finish playing, and I’m keen to learn, obviously, started at Oxford, with the 21s and the 18s, and I’m eager to learn that side of the game as well, but I, like I said, and you said, I’ve still got plenty to offer on the pitch, and I want to help out from now until the end of the season, it’s a brilliant setup here, obviously, you, you know more than me,, what Justin’s done with the club, and how many, sort of, teams play here, the setup, obviously, with all the businesses going on here,, so yeah, it’s just brilliant to be a part of, and like I said, I just want to add value on the pitch and off the pitch in the changing room, and, yeah, hopefully we can have a positive end to the season.

Interviewer: That’s a good point, actually, because, you know, we mentioned it in the first question, you know, you know, you’re a local lad, but Oxford United, I’ll say again, and, you know, having done Norfleet, have you always kind of had Oxford City on the radar, does that make sense, you know, you know, you’re thinking, especially towards the end, you know, and a few clubs you’ve had, you know, have you always thought, you know, I’d like to play for Oxford City, you know, it’s right on my doorstep, you know, it’s it’s a good club, it’s got good facilities, like you say, is it something that really appealed to you, like the club itself?

Matty: Yeah, definitely, it’s probably one of the few I’ve not played for, obviously I had a few, like, youth loans when you’re younger and stuff, so yeah, it’s, I know it’s always been a good set up here, I know it’s been, like, a very, very, there’s been some brilliant, brilliant teams over here in the years, you see, like, Dads on school runs, take my son’s football and stuff, and people have played in the youth teams here, playing the first team, reserves, whatever, so yeah, it’s always been, sort of, mentioned a lot in and around conversations I’ve had, and, yeah, obviously have your eye on, like, where you live in and based, and you can’t be playing, so obviously a little bit more local, in football, that’s not always the case, but yeah, it’s brilliant to be here, and I can’t wait to get going.

Interviewer: Yeah, we’ve got some massive games, one against, you know, right at the end of the season, last home games against Chester, which is another one of your, you know, probably you played when you, when you were starting off, I suppose, uh, but, you know, every game is huge, you know, you don’t even look at the table at the moment, because you’ve got to give everything, you know, the same ounce of effort going into it, we’ve proven already this season that, you know, we beat Hersey Fielder, I think we’re second when we played them, they’re top now, that we can beat them, at our day we can beat, you know, beat anybody, as they can do to us, we’ve got to keep believing, haven’t we, and that’s something that, um, I imagine you’ll be getting into straight away.

Matty: Yeah, I think, you just got to concentrate game by game, I know it sounds a bit boring, but, there’s no point looking too far ahead, like you said, anyone can beat anyone, so we just got to be focused, stick to the game plan, and try and tick each game off as it comes, and try and get as many wins or points as possible, to climb the league, so that’s what we’ll be trying to do, but, yeah, just got to concentrate and be focused on the task at hand, game by game.

Interviewer: Final one for me, I really appreciate your time, because I’ve kept you for a while now, but I mentioned that kind of connection between the two clubs, but there’s a little, you know, special connection between, the City of Oxford and the two clubs, isn’t it? It’s not quite, not quite like Bristol, if you like, but, in Oxford, you know, it’s not like, there’s a nice partnership, when, when Oxford United maybe aren’t playing, and we, and we are at home, the Oxford United fans will come and watch us play, and sometimes vice versa, when, when there’s that sort of opportunity. It’ll be good to see some familiar faces as well, perhaps some Yellows fans that have seen you playing in your career earlier on, coming down here to support the lads in, in blue and white this time, and, and really getting behind both clubs as a city, if you like.

Matty: Yeah, I think that’s why Oxford’s so special, obviously I’m from here, so I’m going to say that, but, yeah, I think it’s, they love the football, do you know what I mean? When you’re from Oxford, you love your football, but there’s, there’s a nice feel to it as well, other cities and stuff, it’s, it’s quite intense and stuff, but, yeah, the two clubs have, obviously, they get on well, and, yeah, I think, like, what we need is, we need support through the door, we need people down here cheering us on,, because it will help, and it will help us get points, so, we, we want to see as many here, cheering us on, and hopefully we can put on a performance to match that.