Taylor Delighted to End Frustrating Wait For Ireland DebutFriday, 18th Oct 2024 16:33 by Kallum Brisset

Town midfielder Jack Taylor has reflected on a proud moment following his long-awaited Republic of Ireland debut on Sunday.

Taylor made his first senior appearance for Boys in Green as a 57th-minute substitute in their 2-0 UEFA Nations League defeat in Greece last weekend.

The London-born midfielder qualifies through his grandfather and finally made his debut having first been called up to the national team in November 2020 without playing and on a number of subsequent occasions.

Taylor featured in a more advanced role for Heimir Hallgrimsson's side, a position he is more than comfortable to play in should he also be required to do so for Town by boss Kieran McKenna.

"It's an incredibly proud moment for me and my family to finally get it ticked off," he said.

"I thought I did really well when I came on and I'm just delighted that I've finally put on the jersey and made my debut.

"It's nice to represent that side of the family and I hope I get many more appearances.

"He brought me on behind the striker just to bring a bit of energy and running into the game. I've played that position many times before so it wasn't alien to me, I really enjoyed it and I'm going to take that with me.

"If the boss [McKenna] puts me there then I'll happily do everything I can. A part of my game is arriving into my box and trying to get on the end of things and it's easier to do from that sort of position. I'm happy to play wherever the boss puts me."

Taylor was unfortunate not to score when he saw a header saved by Odisseas Vlachomidos which would have levelled the contest with Ireland trailing 1-0 at the time.

"I didn't really see much of it," Taylor added. "There was a defender in my way when I flicked it on. I knew it was going goalbound but he tipped it over unfortunately.

"It's probably the most hostile stadium I've been involved in, to be honest. It's a bit different in foreign grounds, they make weird booing noises when you get the ball so that was interesting.

"It's another experience that I've ticked off and I'll take that with me for the rest of my career."

Taylor could not hide his frustration at the long wait to receive his first international cap, having had his debut put on hold four years after his maiden call-up to the senior side.

He said: "A little bit [frustrating], especially because they weren't picking the results up that I could understand why they were leaving me out.

"Professionally, I just had to keep doing my job at my club and eventually I've been picked. Hopefully I get picked again next month so I can prove myself again."

Dara O'Shea and Sammie Szmodics have both jokingly dubbed the national team as the 'Republic of Town' given that four members of the Blues' squad are full Irish internationals, with Chiedozie Ogbene completing the quartet.

Taylor believes those connections have played a positive role in helping the settling in process of the recently-signed trio, with O'Shea and Ogbene in particular joining towards the end of August.

He said: "I knew the lads even before they came here and I came here, so it's nice to see familiar faces in and around the building. They're all such good lads and I think it's an easy way for them to embed themselves in the squad even more."

One man who is no stranger to Taylor is Szmodics. The pair have been very close friends since their time together at Peterborough United, and Taylor admitted he tried to play a role in getting the deal for last season's Championship top goalscorer over the line.

"We've talked to each other throughout this whole summer because I knew he had interest from us and he was desperate to come down, I was a bit of a middleman at times," he revealed.

"I know Sam well so I knew he wouldn't be a problem coming into this team. He's another great addition that we've got and someone with different qualities who can impact this league."

Like so many of his Town teammates and the club themselves, Taylor is playing in his third different division in as many years having featured in the Championship and League One in the last two years.

While the step-up in quality is clear to see, the 26-year-old believes the level in which the Blues train at has helped level out the jump in standard the squad are facing in the top flight this season.

"It's obviously different, especially places that you're going away from home," he said.

"But I'm in a squad that definitely has Premier League aspirations and the way we train is such a high level and you can't drop off, every day you've got to be at it. It makes it easier if you train like that as the games will be easier.

"But it is a massive step-up, you can't slip off in the Premier League because you'll get punished as we've seen especially against West Ham last week.

"I've found it okay and hopefully I'll get more of an opportunity to try and prove myself at this level.

"Tactically and positionally it's another level as well. As long as we get it right and the way the boss wants us to play on and off the ball, we'll be fine.

"That naturally happens because of the coaching staff that we've got and the players we've brought into the building. You're either going to be left behind or you're going to go with them, everyone's definitely pulling their weight."

Another thing that was pointed out to Taylor was the different stadiums the Blues are facing in the Premier League this season, with trips to Old Trafford, the Emirates, and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium among those still to come.

Taylor said: "You do get some big attendances in League One so we're not alien to it. We're all professional enough to understand that the job's in our hands and we're going to go to tough places this year.

"But people are not going to want to come to Portman Road and that's what we want to make the impression on other teams that they're not going to have an easy game. With the stadiums we go to, it's the biggest stage in the world so you've got to be ready for it."

Finally, Taylor was asked what he has made of the stop-start nature of the Premier League with far fewer matches and bigger gaps between games, particularly during the early-season international breaks.

"It is a bit different considering last year we were playing Tuesday and Wednesday nights and then onto Saturday so there's more quick turnovers," he said. "Footballers want to play football matches at the end of the day.

"So it's a bit frustrating in them turns but there's nothing we can do, we know that they're going to come thick and fast around Christmas time so we're making sure that the squad's going to be ready and everyone's going to be fit for that time."

Photo: TWTD

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