PLAYED FOR BOTH: MATT TAYLOR

Ahead of Saturday’s match with West Ham United we caught up with the former Clarets and Hammers winger

One man who will be taking a keen interest in Saturday afternoon’s Premier League game at Turf Moor is former Claret and Hammers midfielder Matt Taylor.

The current Shrewsbury Town boss spent two seasons at Turf Moor, joining the newly promoted Premier League Clarets in July 2014, from West Ham United.

Taylor played in Burnley’s opening three games but suffered a serious achilles injury in his fourth which kept him out for most of the season – a devastating blow to Taylor who arrived at Turf Moor with an excellent pedigree and was keen to make a big impression at his new club.

Despite suffering such a difficult injury, Matt only had good things to say about his time with the Clarets: “I got offered a contract at West Ham, but at the age I was I spoke to Sean (Dyche) and, having known him for some time, and speaking to him about what he wanted to do, it was an opportunity to play another season in the Premier League.

“If I had stayed at West Ham I would have had that opportunity as well but it was a fresh challenge for me. It was going into a group that probably didn’t have a huge amount of Premier League experience.

“Being able to pass on things that I had learned from playing in the Premier League. I think Burnley was my 11th season so I went there, started off well in pre-season then I ruptured my achilles.

“My overriding emotion of that season is I wasn’t able to help the team on the pitch bar the first few games then the last two or three.”

Taylor admits being out for such a long period was a difficult period in his career, although he more than contributed to Burnley’s title-winning success in the Championship the following season. 

“Injuries are the hardest thing to contend with as a player so the Burnley fans never got to see the best in me I think,” said Taylor, who made 37 appearances for the Clarets, scoring four goals. “I did ok in the Championship winning season. I scored some important goals but it was a difficult period in my career.

“Having that period of time out, being away from my family with them living down south was tough but I loved being part of winning the league with Sean, I thoroughly loved that and the group of players we had were brilliant.

“The environment that Sean had set it was one of the best and most coherent that I’d been involved in. I loved my time up in Burnley, but I felt I didn’t probably offer as much as I should have and that was due to the injury.”

The former midfielder also enjoyed a three-year spell with Saturday afternoon’s visitors West Ham United, playing a starring role in the 2012 Championship Play-Off final victory over Blackpool at Wembley.

Taylor made 90 appearances in Claret and Blue, scoring three goals and playing his part in many more, including Carlton Cole’s Play-Off final opener and he looks back fondly on his time at the Boleyn Ground.

“West Ham is a huge football club with an unbelievable fanbase. To have three seasons at Upton Park in front of them and the success at Wembley was unbelievable for me. I loved every second of it.

“The West Ham fans were extremely passionate and got behind their team. It was three years in my career that I look back on now with a  huge smile on my face.”

The full interview with Matt Taylor can be found in this Saturday’s programme which you can purchase online or in and around Turf Moor.