Hartlepool-born Andrew Taylor was one of the most popular and gregarious characters in a Cardiff City dressing room that was rich with them in the early part of the last decade.
Having come through the ranks at Middlesbrough, with whom he signed professional terms in 2004, the no-nonsense left back spent the first half of the final year of his Boro deal on loan with Watford during the 2010/11 season. During that time, he made 19 appearances and scored superbly in a 3-0 New Year’s Day win over Portsmouth. He impressed sufficiently that Watford bid to make the move permanent during that winter transfer window, but the Teessiders rejected it and Taylor saw out his contract in the North East.
With coaching staff and notable players including Don Cowie having made their way from Watford to South Wales the following summer, it was no surprise when Cardiff City secured the services of 24-year-old Tayls in July 2011. Boro boss Tony Mowbray had tried but failed to retain the defender’s services, with a new challenge of returning to the Premier League cited by Taylor as his determining reason for making the move south.
Tayls (nobody called him Andrew!) made his competitive Bluebirds debut in the thrilling 1-0 win at West Ham United on 2011/12’s opening day, going on to make 52 League, Cup and Play-Off appearances that season as City reached the Play-Offs and the League Cup Final. He registered a goal, too, coincidentally coming against Portsmouth again, this time in an early season 1-1 draw at Fratton Park.
The following year, City were promoted as Champions of the second tier. Taylor played in 43 out of 46 League fixtures, but notably saw red for a second bookable offence in the final match of the campaign at Hull City. As a result, he would be suspended for City’s first Premier League fixture: something that no doubt infuriated the passionate and driven defender over the course of the summer months.
It was Taylor’s absence, in City’s first top-flight fixture in 51 years, that allowed an opportunity to young Academy graduate, Declan John. The 18-year-old did little wrong on his League debut in City’s 2-0 defeat to West Ham United at Upton Park and would make a further 19 Premier League appearances that term. This went some way to Taylor dropping in and out of the side, as incoming manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær toyed with the idea of playing wing-backs, a system more suited to the more athletically gifted John. The erstwhile left back incumbent of the previous two campaigns made just 18 League appearances and one in the FA Cup.
During the summer of 2014, Taylor left a little unexpectedly, with City having returned to the Championship at the first time of asking.
Wigan Athletic would be his destination, with whom he signed a three-year deal that saw loan spells come at Reading and Bolton Wanderers. Tayls signed permanently with the Trotters in May 2017 before ending his playing days in 2019.
He initially returned to the North East having undertaken a Master’s degree in Sports Directorship at Salford University and is now Head of Pathways & Loans at Leeds United.