MATT TAYLOR
Born: 27 November 1981, Oxford, England
Former clubs: Luton Town, Portsmouth, Bolton Wanderers
Speedy and direct left-sided midfielder blessed with outstanding delivery and an eye for scoring truly spectacular goals, Matt Taylor joined West Ham United from Bolton Wanderers in July 2011.
A star as a youngster with Luton Town, Portsmouth and the England Under-21 side, Taylor has been a regular feature on Match of the Day for his penchant for smashing the ball into the net from all over the pitch.
Always involved in the game, the Oxford-born wideman also featured in European competition during his time with Bolton Wanderers.
2013/14
Scored with a trademark long-range effort in West Ham United's 6-2 win at Cork City in their opening pre-season fixture on 7 July 2013...After featuring in the Capital One Cup, made his first Barclays Premier League appearance of the campaign from the bench in the 0-0 draw at Southampton on 15 September 2013...Scored from the spot to help the Hammers defeat Burnley 2-0 in the Capital One Cup fourth round on 29 October 2013....Made a game-high total of seven blocks to help preserve the Hammers' clean sheet in their 0-0 draw at Chelsea on 29 January 2014...Became a crucial part of the Hammers' revival in the second half of the campaign in a defensive midfield role.
2012/13
Scored his first goal of the season with a left-foot effort in the 3-0 home Barclays Premier League victory over Fulham on 1 September 2012...Suffered a calf injury in the 3-1 home league defeat by Arsenal on 6 October 2012.
2011/12
Joined West Ham United for an undisclosed fee on 23 July 2011...Appeared in pre-season fixtures against Dagenham & Redbridge and Real Zaragoza, scoring his first goal in a 2-0 win over the Spanish side...Made his West Ham United debut in a 1-0 home npower Championship defeat by Cardiff City on 7 August 2011...Scored his first competitive West Ham United goal in a 4-3 npower Championship win against Portsmouth on 10 September 2011...Suffered a calf injury in the 1-0 npower Championship defeat at Southampton on 18 October 2011...Returned to action in the 2-0 npower Championship win at Middlesbrough on 29 November 2011...Suffered a second calf injury in the 2-1 home npower Championship defeat by Burnley on 3 December 2011...Returned to action in the 5-1 npower Championship defeat at Ipswich Town on 31 January 2012...Totalled 28 npower Championship appearances, 26 of them starts, and one goal...Started both npower Championship Play-Off semi-final ties with Cardiff City at left-back.
International career
Capped three times by England at Under-21 level.
Before West Ham United
Came through the ranks at Luton Town, making his league debut in a goalless Division Two draw at Notts County on 7 August 1999...Made 146 appearances for Luton Town over four seasons, scoring 17 goals...Voted Luton Town Young Player of the Year for 1999/00...Joined Portsmouth for £400,000 in June 2002...Made 203 appearances for Portsmouth in all competitions, scoring 29 goals...Won promotion to the Premier League as Division One champions with Portsmouth in 2002/03...Joined Bolton Wanderers in January 2008 for an undisclosed fee...Played a full 90 minutes in three UEFA Cup ties in early 2008, appearing for Bolton Wanderers against Atletico Madrid and Sporting Lisbon...Scored the 50th goal of his career in a 3-1 Premier League victory at West Ham United on 5 October 2008.
Any other business
None.