Thirteen years ago today, one of the building blocks of West Ham United’s climb back into the Premier League joined the Club.
Matt Taylor had been a top-flight regular with Portsmouth and Bolton Wanderers, playing and excelling under Sam Allardyce at the latter.
So, when Big Sam called and asked the midfielder to join his Hammers revolution in the summer of 2011, and help the Londoners win an immediate promotion back to the Premier League, Taylor accepted the challenge.
For a 29-year-old who had spent the previous nine seasons playing at the highest level, opting to move down a division, and to move his family 250 miles south, was a big decision, but one he would never have cause to regret.
Not only did the goalscoring left-footer enjoy three fine seasons in Claret and Blue, but he played an important role in helping the Hammers back to where the Club belonged, setting up Carlton Cole’s goal in the 2012 Championship Play-Off final at Wembley.
“Starting out at Luton Town before moving to Portsmouth and then Bolton Wanderers, I was totally naïve when it came to joining West Ham,” he recalled. “I hadn’t realised just how big the Football Club was or how large its fanbase is. Even today, I reckon 90% of supporters come from the East End or Essex because there’s always a real family feel around the place.
“At Bolton, I’d played for Sam Allardyce, who now persuaded me to gamble, leave the Trotters and drop into the second-tier. Like me, most of the Hammers squad had loads of Premier League experience so we knew what it was all about. And Big Sam did, too.
“Despite having been relegated, West Ham still had the best squad and the most expensive players. We were the Championship’s strongest team but, somehow, were incapable of stringing a decent run of results together.
“Eventually finishing third, we were so disappointed to miss out on automatic promotion but it was amazing to be involved in the Play-Offs. I’ve played in many important football matches but contextually the final against Blackpool was the biggest because of what it meant for the Football Club and its supporters.
“On the day, Blackpool were the better team but we dug deep, winning 2-1. After finishing third in the Championship, it would’ve been a travesty if we’d lost and, sharing a day out at Wembley with my family meant lots to me, too.
“One of the best experiences of my career, equally, it was one of the worst, too! It took a fortnight before I could start recalling the day with any sense of relief and pride that I’d been part of what the team had achieved in returning to the Premier League at the first attempt.
“My gamble had paid off and I’d made the correct decision to leave Bolton. It was a massive high and a wonderful day-out for 45,000 Hammers fans, too. At Portsmouth and Burnley, we automatically went up to the Premier League after winning the title but that promotion with West Ham was definitely the way to go. I’d certainly take the Play-Offs every time, so long as victory at Wembley on the day was guaranteed!”
Taylor went on to play 48 Premier League games for the Hammers over the next two seasons before moving back to the North West with Burnley but, 13 years on, the Oxford-born player will always cherish the day he signed for West Ham United.
