Alan Taylor (footballer, born 1953)

Taylor was born in Hinckley in Leicestershire but when he was a child, his family moved to Lancashire. His career in football started as a youth player at Preston North End but he was released in 1970 following the club's relegation. He then took up a job in car repairs while playing non-league football in Lancashire. Eventually his reputation with Morecambe as a goalscorer prompted Rochdale into making a move for him, taking Taylor into the full-time game for the first time. ==West Ham United==

First season At the end of 1974, West Ham manager John Lyall signed Taylor for £40,000. He was able to play in West Ham's FA Cup campaign when they joined the competition at the third round stage in January 1975, even though Rochdale's lower league status meant that they had started two rounds earlier. Taylor had been injured during Rochdale's FA Cup matches and was therefore not cup-tied. West Ham progressed to the quarter finals and on 8 March 1975 Taylor scored both goals, in what was only his fifth West Ham game, as they beat Arsenal 2–0 at Highbury. The semi-final against Ipswich Town ended goalless and went to a replay at Stamford Bridge on 9 April 1975, with Taylor again scoring both goals in a 2–1 win, the second of which clinched a place in the Wembley final with just eight minutes to go. Taylor made headlines as West Ham won 2–0, especially as he had scored three consecutive FA Cup braces and had been a player in the Fourth Division just six months previously. Later West Ham career The 1975–76 season had seen Taylor finish as West Ham's top scorer with 17 goals from 50 games. In the following three seasons he played many fewer games and scored few goals. In the 1978–79 season, his final season, he managed only 15 games and three goals. He played his final West Ham game on 5 May 1979 in a 1–0 away defeat to Blackburn Rovers, coming on as a substitute for John McDowell. He had played 124 games in all competitions scoring 36 goals. ==Around the clubs==

Injuries took their toll on Taylor afterwards and he lost his place at West Ham, who were relegated in 1978. Taylor left for Norwich City in 1979, and had subsequent periods at Cambridge United, Hull City, Burnley and Bury, plus some time in Canada at Vancouver Whitecaps. He ended his career back at Norwich. ==Legacy==

It took eleven years before another player — Ian Rush in 1986 – scored two goals in the FA Cup Final, although two (Ricardo Villa in 1981 and Bryan Robson in 1983) had done so in replays in the interim. ==Honours==

West Ham United • FA Cup: 1974–75 • European Cup Winners' Cup: runners-up 1975–76 ==References==