Taylor Looking Forward to Facing ‘Serial Leader’ Morsy
Town midfielder Jack Taylor is looking forward to facing former Blues captain Sam Morsy when his Bristol City side visit Portman Road this evening.
Morsy joined the Robins on a short-term deal earlier this month after departing Kuwait SC following just three appearances in the Middle East.
The Egyptian international, who led Town back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, left last summer for a new challenge in Kuwait, but finds himself back in the Championship for one of the Blues’ divisional rivals just a few months on.
Taylor (pictured above with his former captain and Conor Townsend after scoring the late winner at Wolves last season), who has been a regular partner for Morsy’s replacement Azor Matusiwa so far this season, admitted it will be another tough test as Town aim to record a seventh straight win on Suffolk soil.
“It’s going to be good to see him and we know what he brings,” he said. “I played against him about four years ago now [for Peterborough, see phot below] and he’s obviously a good competitor. He’s going to know what we’re about and our strengths. It will be interesting.
“Personally, I thought he was top. Being in the midfield unit with him, since the day I came in, he showed his intensity every day in training.
“He epitomises what it is to be a serial leader for a team and I’m pretty sure he’ll want to add that to Bristol City.
“It’s not only Skip, they’re a good side. I know some of their players there and they’ll be up for it and they’re in a bit of form at the minute. But we’re at home again, we’re looking to build on another clean sheet and hopefully another win.
“That’s what you want as a football player, you want the games to come thick and fast, especially when they’re at home. It’s nice to have two home games Saturday-Tuesday.
“We’ve had a lot of travelling lately and we’ve got a lot of travelling coming up so hopefully we’re going to take advantage of the two home fixtures.”
While Town are in the midst of a run of games at Portman Road, next month will see the Blues travel more than 1,700 miles with a gruelling calendar on the horizon.
That is because Kieran McKenna’s side have been drawn away to Wrexham in the fourth round of the FA Cup and will face the Red Dragons in successive weekends, two of five matches on the bounce away from home.
“When I was watching the draw, I didn’t have a clue that we had them away in the league the week after,” Taylor said. “We’ve got to go there twice in a week, so that will be fun for the lads.
“You can’t affect it and there’s a game there to go and win, especially in the cup, we want to go through that as well. We’ve got the squad depth to go and do it this year.
“People can come in at any time and be as good as the person starting. We’ve got the squad and injuries, touch wood, we get through it nice and healthily.
“We take every game as it comes. You might play really well in midweek and only get a point. You take every game as it comes and keep picking up three points.
“There’s no point looking at runs and tables and all that. Towards the end of the season, you know you’re going to need runs to get promoted out of this division. We’ll be looking forward to the schedule ahead.”
As Taylor points out, Town should have the strength in depth to cope, with a fully fit 25-man squad ready to play the minutes where required.
In his own position in midfield, Taylor has enjoyed regular action having started 12 of the last 17 matches in all competitions since the end of October, and is set for his 100th appearance for the club against Bristol City.
The 27-year-old is currently keeping Jens Cajuste out of the side, and says he always knew the right mentality would give him a chance to impress.
He said: “I’m really delighted and I’m proud with the step that I made. There was a spell at the start of the season where I wasn’t getting any game time and I just doubled down and grafted and waited for my opportunity.
“When it came, I think I took it. I’ll do everything I can to get this club back into the Premier League and I think that’s what I’m doing at the minute.
“There would have been conversations here and there [with McKenna], but I know what he’s like and I’ve been around it long enough now. I knew my opportunity was going to come.
“When he did chuck me in against West Brom, I played well and since then I’ve shown the best side of myself.”
The team’s overall form has also improved since then, with no Championship side picking up more points or scoring more goals than the Blues since Taylor returned to the starting XI against the Baggies.
Arguably the biggest turning point was the drab 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers in early December, which was viewed by many as the worst performance of the campaign despite Sindre Walle Egeli’s stoppage-time equaliser.
“We knew we weren’t at it that day,” Taylor conceded. “That was the end of a week when we were away three games in a row.
“We can’t use that as an excuse, we’ve still got to go out and perform and it was nowhere near good enough on the night, but we walked away with a point and by the end of the season it could look like a good point.
“Sometimes you need those days in a season to give yourself a little bit of a kick up the backside to get going.
“Football’s never clean sailing like that, you’re going to miss chances. Hopefully it gets to a point where we’re blowing teams away. As long as you’re picking up three points, that’s all that matters.”
Of course, Town are in the middle of a January transfer window that has so far failed to deliver any new arrivals to strengthen the playing group.
Asked whether he would welcome any midfield additions, Taylor said: “You’ve got to trust why the gaffer’s bringing someone in to bolster that area.
“I’m happy with my performances and the game time that I’m getting at the minute, so long may that continue.”
Be the first to comment