Mark Taylor (footballer)

Football player infobox2
playername = Mark Taylor


fullname = Peter Mark Richard Taylor
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1964|11|20
cityofbirth = Hartlepool
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath =
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
height = height|ft=5|in=7
currentclub =
position = Striker (retired)
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1984-1986
1985-1986
1986-1992
1992
1992-1995
clubs = Hartlepool United
→ Crewe Alexandra (loan)
Blackpool
→ Cardiff City (loan)
Wrexham
Career
caps(goals) = 047 0(4)
003 0(0)
121 (43)
006 0(3)
061 0(9)
238 (59)
manageryears =
managerclubs =
nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =

Peter Mark Richard Taylor (more commonly known as Mark Taylor; born November 20 1964 in Hartlepool) is an English former professional footballer. He played as a striker.

Taylor began his career with his hometown club, Hartlepool United, in 1984. Over two years, he made 47 league appearances for "Pools" and scored four goals.

After a loan spell at Crewe Alexandra in 1985–86, Taylor signed for Sam Ellis's Blackpool in 1986. He made his debut at Doncaster Rovers on September 14, 1986, in the fourth league game of the 1986–87 season. Over the course of the season, Taylor made 40 league appearances and scored fourteen goals in a strike partnership with Paul Stewart.

In his second season at Blackpool, 1987–88, Taylor made 41 league appearances and scored 21 goals, finishing as the club's top scorer in the wake of Stewart's departure to Manchester City at the end of the previous season.

Taylor suffered an injury in December of the 1988–89 season that put him out of action for the rest of that campaign and the whole of the next.

He started the 1990–91 season on the bench, but he returned to the starting line-up on November 10, 1990, in a 4–2 victory over Aldershot at Bloomfield Road. Taylor scored "the Seasiders"' second goal. His season stopped again shortly thereafter, however, when he missed seven games (the first two under new manager Billy Ayre, who succeeded Graham Carr). He returned in mid-January 1991 and helped the team to a fifth-placed finish in Division Four and qualification for the play-offs. Taylor played in both legs of the semi-final against Scunthorpe United, as well as in the final against Torquay United. It wasn't to be for Blackpool, as "the Gulls" were victorious in the deciding penalty shoot-out.

In 1991–92, Taylor made only two starts (scoring a goal in each) in Billy Ayre's first full season in charge, before being loaned out to Cardiff City in the New Year. At Ninian Park, Taylor scored three goals in six appearances. In his absence, Blackpool made the play-offs once more, and this time won promotion after another penalty shoot-out.

At the end of the 1991–92 season, Taylor was sold to another Welsh club, Wrexham, where he finished his career.Now Physio at Fulham FC.

References

* [http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=7829 Taylor's profile at Soccerbase]
*cite book | first=Roy | last=Calley| coauthors= | title=Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887-1992 | publisher=Breedon Books Sport | location= | year=1992 | editor= | id=ISBN 1-873626-07-X