Andrew Taylor

Personal information
Full name	Andrew Derek Taylor
Date of birth	1 August 1986 (1986-08-01) (age 23)
Place of birth	Hartlepool, England
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position	Left wingback
Club information
Current club	Middlesbrough
Number	3
Youth career
	Middlesbrough
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–	Middlesbrough	95	(0)
2005–2006	→ Bradford City (loan)	24	(0)
National team‡
2006–2009	England U21	13	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:34, 20 December 2009 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:06, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Andrew Derek Taylor (born 1 August 1986 in Hartlepool, England) is an English footballer who currently plays for Middlesbrough as a left wingback.

[edit] Club career

Taylor was born in Hartlepool, County Durham. A graduate of Middlesbrough's youth academy, he started out as a left midifelder in the successful 2004 FA Youth Cup campaign with the likes of David Wheater and Adam Johnson.

Taylor was named as a substitute in several UEFA Cup games during the 2004-05 season but did not leave the bench. During the 2005–06 season, Boro reached the FA Cup Semi-Final and the Uefa Cup Final. With only Franck Queudrue able to play at left-back, Steve McClaren brought Taylor back from Bradford, where he had impressed on loan. He played in several Premiership matches and the FA Cup semi-final to save Queudrue for the UEFA Cup tie with Sevilla. His impressive form meant he was unlucky to miss out on a starting place against Sevilla.

The arrival of Julio Arca for the 2006-07 season in replacement of the Fulham-bound Queudrue saw Taylor lose his place. After Arca's injury during the first game of the season, Taylor deputised in the left back position and eventually made it his own after impressing Gareth Southgate. He stuck a partnership with fellow Boro academy graduate Stewart Downing on the left wing and is now regarded as the first choice left-back. Taylor signed a one year extension to his contract in January 2008, which would see him remain at the club until June 2011.^[1]

The 2008-09 season was a frustrating one for Taylor as he played only 20 league games due to several injuries. He ended the season on a low note as Boro were relegated after playing out a draw at home to Aston Villa. After starting the 2009-10 season on the bench, he reclaimed his spot in the starting eleven. On 12 September, he sustain an ankle ligament injury in the home win against Ipswich Town and was out for the rest of the month and October. He made the bench for the 21 November game against Nottingham Forest but did not leave the bench.

[edit] International career

Taylor has been in the youth setup since the Under-17 level, and played at the 2003 UEFA U17 Championships with U21 teammates Mark Noble, Steven Taylor and James Milner. With England qualified for the FIFA World Youth Championship that year, he was again selected in the squad. He was a part of England's Under-19 at the 2005 European Championships, in which they finished runners-up to France. In the summer of 2009, he was called up for the 2009 UEFA U21 Championship in Sweden and finished runners-up to Germany.

[edit] Business interests

In August 2009 it was announced that the footballer would be involved in a new business venture called Platinum Players. The website based service will aim to connect footballers and other celebrities with companies and trades people whose reputability and trustworthiness has been validated. The site will be available by invitation-only, and will go live on 1 September 2009.^[2][3][4]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Andrew Taylor career stats at Soccerbase
• Profile at 4thegame.com
• Platinum Players website

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