Taylor looks to end ‘nightmare’ season

Chris Taylor (front): Troubled by injury for much of the season.

CHRIS TAYLOR admits his season has been a living “nightmare”.

The winger has this week had a scan on a troublesome groin and hamstring injury that has restricted his impact during matches.

Unable to reproduce the sort of form that has ripped defences to shreds in recent seasons, the 23-year-old hopes to still help the team grind out enough points to secure Coca-Cola League One status — and then work harder than ever in the gym to get back to his best.

“We are trying to get to the bottom of what exactly the injury is,” said Taylor, who has endured a season of struggle.

“It is a similar problem to the one Joe Jacobson had been getting. In some games, my groin and hamstring can get extremely painful.

“I am fit enough to carrying on playing but something is holding me back and I am not quite there in terms of fitness.

“At the moment I just have to keep working at doing core strength work, but it definitely isn’t the ideal situation.

“I need to get through this season, hammer the core work and then get back on my game so I can get back to playing the way I know I can.

“Hopefully I will get good news with the scan results and find out how I can work on the injury to be better for next season.”

Taylor’s current Athletic contract, signed a year ago when Joe Royle was in temporary charge, runs until the summer of 2012.

Elsewhere, the club have confirmed that midfielder Dean Furman will sit out the next two home matches against Brentford and Gillingham through suspension.

Furman picked up his 10th booking of the season in the 2-0 defeat to Brighton on Saturday.

Another player currently walking the disciplinary tightrope is Sean Gregan, who is two yellow cards away from incurring a two-game ban.

In last night’s League One games, Southend overcame 10-man Walsall with a 3-0 home win that moves them above Exeter in the table on goal difference. It takes them to fourth-bottom and within three points of Athletic in 17th spot.

Southampton beat Hartlepool 3-2, while play-off hopefuls Colchester were held to a 3-3 home draw with Brentford, who travel to Boundary Park on Tuesday.


ATHLETIC’S reserves were in action today against Accrington in the quarter-finals of the Lancashire Senior Cup in a game moved from the original venue at Clitheroe to the Chapel Road training ground as a result of an unfit pitch.