Taylor 'cuts loose' in Chelmsford FA Cup dream run

Lyle Taylor’s name is on the list of those to score an FA Cup hat-trick – and he hopes to help Chelmsford City make a little bit of history in the competition too.

The Essex club have only reached the third round twice, in 1938-39 and again in 1972-73 when they were eventually beaten by Bobby Robson’s Ipswich Town.

They have a great chance to do so again with home advantage for Saturday’s second-round tie against Weston-super-Mare, also from National League South.

And, for the winners, of course, there is the possibility of being drawn against Premier League opposition if all goes to plan.

Taylor has already netted eight times in the four ties the Clarets have won so far – and one or two more would give him a great chance of carrying off the Golden Ball trophy which each year’s leading scorer in the competition receives.

“I’ve just found a way of scoring when the team’s needed me to score – it’s a good habit, that’s for sure, and something I’d like to carry over for the rest of the season,” the 35-year-old told BBC Look East.

He is currently level on eight with Longridge Town’s Liam Atkinson, who scored four in one game against Pilkington, but they are already out of the competition.

“I’m enjoying it from a personal point of view, it’s always nice to score goals, but we’re enjoying it as a team – it’s different to the league, it kind of lets us cut loose a little bit,” Taylor said.

‘The most FA Cup games I’ve played in a season’

And yet it could all have been very different.

Taylor was Colchester United’s top scorer last season with 13 goals, but his season was ended early by a calf injury and despite his hopes of remaining with the League Two club, the offer of a new contract did not materialise.

As a result, he dropped two levels to join Chelmsford, a decision perhaps made easier by the fact owner Spencer Gore has made them fully professional this season.

“I think this is the most games I’ve played in the FA Cup in a single season – when you’re in the Football League and playing every week in the league, the FA Cup almost seems to be a second-string game,” Taylor said.

“It’s just taken on a different feel and I wonder if that’s because of the money that’s now in league football, where it’s so lucrative to get promoted.

“But I’m thoroughly enjoying the FA Cup this season. It’s a very different feel when you come in during the qualifying rounds – it’s been good fun.”

Chelmsford drew 0-0 at Weston-super-Mare in the league in August, but current form does not favour them against opponents currently second in the table, as the Clarets have lost their past three games.

Taylor added: “The manager has been very clear from the first FA Cup game against Hertford [a 6-0 win] – he said ‘the FA Cup is for you, it’s not for the fans, not for the staff, not for the chairman, it’s for you, for what you can build it to be’.

“And we’ve built it to be something great. We have to make sure we don’t lose that feeling.

“It would be an incredible achievement. Even for League One and Two teams to get through rounds one and two isn’t necessarily easy. We’ve got our own bit of modern history to make – if that’s not a carrot then I don’t know what is.”

Taylor’s memorable FA Cup moments

During the 2012-13 season, Taylor netted twice for Falkirk in a 4-1 win over Forfar Athletic in the Scottish Cup – or Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, to use the full name.

By the time of his first FA Cup goal for Scunthorpe United in a 2-2 draw with Chesterfield almost two years later, Taylor was back in English football.

But another spell in Scotland – and a goal for Partick – followed before he was on target five times in nine FA Cup appearances for AFC Wimbledon between 2015 and 2018, including two in a 3-1 win over Charlton.

Perhaps that performance was a factor in his move to The Valley which produced his Cup hat-trick in a memorable 5-0 win over Mansfield Town, the final goal described at the time as a “sublime chip”.

From south London, he moved on to Nottingham Forest where he scored his most recent cup goal prior to joining Chelmsford, volleying home to earn a 1-0 victory over Cardiff City in January 2021, putting Forest into the fourth round.

Taylor’s hero as a youngster was Arsenal forward Thierry Henry and trying to copy the Frenchman’s methods has served him well.

“I grew up watching Thierry pass the ball into the bottom corner of the goal, so I’d rather place the ball than shoot with power,” he said.

“Goalkeepers, no matter which level it is, can only cover so much of the goal, so I’d rather pass it into the net, either side, it’s a favoured finish for me and how I prefer to play football.”

Owner hoping for another record crowd

Chelmsford attracted a ground-record 3,502 spectators to their Melbourne Stadium home for their 4-1 first-round win over Braintree Town and owner Gore is hoping to beat that on Saturday.

“With winning in the last round came a nice chunk of prize money and TV money, so we’re reinvesting that in the club – we’ve got a new shop, new offices and we’re trying to extend the capacity a little bit more, so it’s just trying to make it a better fan experience all round,” he said.

“We sold out our home ticket allocation in nine minutes and we’re doing a few things to try and extend it just so we can beat that record again.”

Like Taylor, Chelmsford boss Angelo Harrop was once at Colchester United, playing for them at junior level.

“I’m a Liverpool fan and to be relaxing with my family on Sunday knowing there’s a possibility of drawing one of the big teams, it could be an amazing opportunity for this football club,” Harrop said.

“We’re very good at home – yes, our form hasn’t been good of late but we’ve been in every game and we’re in high spirits, so we’ll give it everything we’ve got.”

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