Moor Green Taylor attended
Washwood Heath Academy from 1978 to 1984. He played for Municipal Officials and Shirley Crusaders and was a
forklift trucker driver when he started his career with
Southern League Premier Division side
Moor Green. He scored 23 goals in one season with the club and scored 17 goals in the
1991–92 campaign. He had an unsuccessful trial with
Birmingham City.
Port Vale Port Vale manager
John Rudge saw him as a potential replacement for
Robbie Earle. He was once again selected in the PFA's divisional team of the season for the
1993–94 season. He returned to Wembley for the
Second Division play-off final, which ended in a 3–0 defeat to
West Bromwich Albion. He would later state: "John Rudge... gave me the opportunity to play professional football. He put me in the team and had faith in me. That was the bedrock of my career".
Sheffield Wednesday In June 1994, Taylor signed with
Premier League club
Sheffield Wednesday. The next month, a tribunal decided upon a £1 million fee, plus £100,000 for an
England appearance and £25,000 for every ten goals up to a maximum of fifty goals as well as 15% of the profit of any future sale. As it happened he was shifted on to
Brian Little's
Aston Villa in December that year for £1 million plus
Guy Whittingham.
Aston Villa A lifelong supporter of the "Villans", as a child, he used to stand on the Holte End at
Villa Park. This fact, combined with his utterly committed displays and knack of scoring crucial goals, quickly established him as a fans' favourite. Villa narrowly stayed in the Premier League in
1994–95 after finishing three points and one place above
relegated Crystal Palace. Villa finished fourth in
1995–96, and Taylor scored in wins over
Manchester United,
Wimbledon,
Leeds United, and
Southampton. He also played and scored in the Aston Villa side that won the
1996 League Cup final 3–0 against Leeds. He played 36 domestic games in
1996–97, scoring in wins over Leeds, Wimbledon, and
Liverpool. He scored 9 goals in 44 games in
1997–98, and maintained his first-team place under new
manager John Gregory. Taylor also netted important goals in Villa's
1997–1998 UEFA Cup run, when they would eventually be knocked out by
Atlético Madrid on away goals at the quarter-final stage. He scored four times in 38 games in
1998–99, and again Villa won all games in which he found the net, including a 2–1 victory at
Coventry City in which Taylor scored both Villa's goals. He was prolific in
1999–2000, scoring ten goals in 42 games, helping Villa to reach the
2000 FA Cup final, where they lost out 1–0 to
Chelsea. He had injured his hamstring in the semi-final against
Bolton Wanderers, and recovered just in time for the final, being named in the
first XI for the final ahead of
Alan Thompson. Taylor hit five goals in 35 games in
2000–01, including both goals in a 2–0 win over
Tottenham Hotspur. However, he was restricted to just 18 appearances in
2001–02, as manager John Gregory was replaced by
Graham Taylor in January. After only 19 appearances in
2002–03, Taylor released him at the end of the campaign.
Derby County Taylor joined
First Division side
Derby County, where he was made
captain. He was the club's
top-scorer in
2003–04 with twelve goals, as Derby avoided relegation by a single point. He played 44 games in
2004–05, as Derby reached the Championship
play-offs, where they were defeated by
Preston North End in the semi-finals. Taylor was released in May 2005.
Northampton Town In June 2005 he signed with
League Two club
Northampton Town. The "Cobblers" won
promotion in
2005–06 as League Two runners-up, with Taylor making 38 appearances. He was named to the
PFA Team of the Year for his performances. Northampton retained their
League One status in
2006–07, as Taylor played another 36 games. Taylor announced that the game at home to
Huddersfield Town on 27 April would be the last of his career before retiring as a professional player. A small number of Aston Villa fans attended this match. At Villa's away match against
Manchester City, the day after Taylor's final game, the travelling Villa fans sang "There's only one Ian Taylor". ==International career==