Hometown hero Matty Taylor loving life in second spell at Oxford United

‘Never go back’ is an age-old adage in football, and so often it rings true.

Jose Mourinho’s second spell at Chelsea ended in tears. Wayne Rooney was a shadow of the player who left Everton in 2004 after he returned to Goodison Park. Gareth Bale is currently struggling to re-find the Tottenham form that once made him the world’s most expensive player.

But Oxford United’s Matty Taylor is proving it wrong.

Whilst his seven substitute appearances during his first stint at The Kassam Stadium in 2007 may mean you can argue that Taylor never really had a first spell at his boyhood club, there can be no doubts about the form he has shown since returning to the Yellows in August 2019.

13 goals last season helped Oxford reach the League One play-off-final, and on Saturday against Bristol Rovers he reached double figures for the current campaign as Karl Robinson’s side continued to put a slow start to the season behind them.

The element of needle in this seemingly perfect tale of redemption is that Bristol Rovers are Taylor’s former club, and despite scoring 68 goals in two-and-a-half years with the Gas, he is despised by the blue-and-white half of Bristol after making a controversial switch to Bristol City in January 2017.

Former Robins’ manager Lee Johnson even admitted that he was sent death threats due to the transfer, as Taylor became the first player in 30 years to make the move from the Memorial Stadium to Ashton Gate.

That feeling of animosity towards the striker was absent on Saturday, as the fake crowd noise that droned through the speakers at the Kassam consisted solely of mis-placed cheers and poorly-timed enthusiasm, but there was an undeniable sense of inevitability when Oxford’s number nine opened the scoring.

After struggling to impose their typical, possession-heavy style of play on a scrappy opening half-hour, and losing influential midfielder Marcus McGuane to a serious-looking injury, Oxford forced a succession of corners that saw the Bristol Rovers backline begin to creak.

As James Henry loaded ball after ball into the Rovers’ penalty area, it became increasingly likely that one would find its way towards goal eventually, and the game’s opening goal came when Sam Long’s header was only partially cleared and Taylor, right on the shoulder of the last defender, reacted faster than opposite number Brandon Hanlon to stab home.

Taylor’s emphatic celebration suggested he was keen to provide his half of the ill-feeling even if there were no away supporters to reciprocate.

“I love scoring goals, I’ll always celebrate a goal, I’ve scored against Oxford, (former side) Forest Green and now (Bristol) Rovers, I’ll always celebrate a goal.

“I obviously still hold the club (Bristol Rovers) in the highest regard, I had a very successful time there and scored a lot of goals and got a few promotions.

“The result was the important thing though, and it was nice to get the two goals.”

– Oxford United striker Matty Taylor

The game began to meander following the opener, as Oxford sat on their lead and Rovers showed no real signs of breaking them down, but Taylor did have another opportunity from a corner just before half-time that he headed over after losing his marker at the near post.

The second half saw Oxford’s talisman hassle and harry the Bristol Rovers back three, providing respite for his team-mates by winning cheap throw-ins and niggly fouls. The extent to which he was enjoying his afternoon summed up by the cheeky smile that accompanied a booking for kicking the ball away after he had been flagged offside.

Taylor was allowed five minutes rest when one of the referee’s assistants pulled up with an injury midway through the half – forcing a brief panic as the fourth official prepared for a far more taxing afternoon than he had initially expected.

That moment of recovery was only half as helpful as the visitors’ defence though, as a faulty offside trap allowed Taylor all of the time in the world to race on to a long pass from Josh Ruffels and set himself perfectly to beat ‘keeper Joe Day with a tidy finish that effectively ended the game as a contest.

The tantalising prospect of a hat-trick against his former side remained a possibility for just a fleeting moment, as  the man-of-the-match was replaced by Sam Winnall minutes after he had sealed the win for Robinson’s side.

Oxford saw out the game fairly comfortably and extended their winning run to six games in all competitions, moving within six points of the top six in the process.

“I thought we were a cut above today in terms of our own performance levels.

“I wouldn’t say we were scintillating, I wouldn’t say we blew Bristol Rovers away. They’re managed by a good manager, they’ve got good players in their squad, so I’m very pleased with our performance.”

– Oxford United manager Karl Robinson

In stark contrast, Bristol Rovers striker Hanlon rarely looked like getting on the scoresheet, as a lack of support in attack, and confidence on the ball, meant it was a quiet afternoon for Jack Stevens in the Oxford goal.

The one occasion that he was forced into action saw him dive magnificently across his goal to tip Hanlon’s 20-yard strike around the far post in the dying minutes, but a poor recent run of form never came close to ending in Oxfordshire for Paul Tisdale’s men.

The day ultimately belonged to Taylor, his brace means he has now scored six goals in his last four games and should such form continue, it would be no surprise to see Oxford bothering the play-off places once more come May.