Extended Interview: Matty Taylor

I was obviously disappointed, but I’d spoken to the gaffer on the Friday. He told me I was playing against Derby, but with all the games coming up he would probably change it for the Leeds game and that Tommo (Lee Tomlin) would suit it. So I already knew he was thinking of doing it, but I was still disappointed when it was confirmed because I hoped I’d changed his mind. It’s irrelevant really – I know I’ll play games between now and the end of the season, so I’ve just got to stay positive. It’s like missing a chance all over again! He’s going to rotate the team how he sees fit and I’ve just got to be ready when called upon.

I’m loving it. It’s definitely a step up, but I think the way the teams play suits me better. The pitches are better and there’s a lot more ball played on the floor, which is good for me. It’s the biggest jump I’ve had so far, but, without jinxing myself, I’ve settled in straightaway. I’m enjoying my football and long may that continue.

Strikers need service. People might’ve thought coming to a team near the bottom of the league made it a strange move, but the gaffer showed me the stats and we’ve had the most shots in the league out of everyone. When he told me that, my eyes lit up. I’ve got two already and I’ve only started one game, so I’m delighted with that. I feel this team will create chances and I’m not the only new lad, so when we all learn more about each other’s games, we can create even more. I can score different types of goals, so yes, I will always back myself.

It’s just a natural instinct. I started playing when I was seven and I’ve been scoring goals ever since. I know you concentrate on having fun when you’re a kid, whereas the more you grow up the more it becomes about winning games and performance. I do seem to get myself into scoring positions, but that’s when you rely on your team-mates to give you the bullets.

I’m buzzing that we’ve won because winning is the most important thing. Personal achievements come after that because you can’t be part of a successful team if you’re not winning games. After that, if I’ve missed a chance I’ll look back on it and be disappointed, but hopefully I’ll be the one scoring in the next game and it’s another win.

I’d like to score in every game and I’d like to win every game, but neither of those things are going to happen. It’s a team sport and you can only achieve things as a team. You need to be selfish at times, which goalscorers are, but you need to make the right decision of when to shoot and when to pass. That’s probably one of the hardest traits in any position – the decision making. I think you learn what the best decisions are as you get older. But I’d rather win every game and not score a goal because then we’d be in the Premier League!

I suppose I have, and I’ve heard things that had been going on before I was here to witness it. We’ve given away a lot of leads, but maybe that’s just been down to a bit of a lack of confidence. Everyone here is a very good player – we’ve got people who aren’t even in the squad who I’m looking at and thinking are amazing players! There are a lot good things here and all the ingredients are in place to be a top team, as they showed at the start of the season when they were in the play-offs. Sometimes you can get on these bad runs and it affects people in different ways, but it’s about how you react to it. We’ve got 15 games left and we’ve just got to win as many as we can, first and foremost. We’re not at the end of the table where we’d like to be, so we’ve got to get as far away from the bottom three as possible. If it goes all the way to the last few games then so be it – fingers crossed we can stay up, reassess over the summer and try to better it next year.