Sammy Taylor

SAMMY Taylor, who has died aged 80 following a short illness, was a member of a class of footballer which has now all but vanished - the Scottish journeyman playing in the English top-flight.

He was born in Glasgow and first tasted senior football with Falkirk, whom he joined as a 20-year-old, straight from junior side Dunipace and his national service in the Army.

The Brockville side Taylor joined was, back in the mid 1950s, earning a reputation as a club where youth was given its fling, with young Scotland full-back Alex Parker, his co-defender Ian Rae and Jimmy McIntosh all earning early call-ups to the new Scotland Under-23 team.

Taylor, a superb dribbler, never hit these heights, but, in his single season in the Bairns' first team in 1954-55, he played 24 games, scored eight goals and created enough of a stir to persuade the Preston North End manager, Aberdonian Frank Hill, to splash out £8500 to take him to Deepdale.

One quality Taylor certainly had was self-belief and it was shown in one of his earliest appearances for Falkirk, against Motherwell, when he ignored the threats of the legendary Motherwell full-back, Archie "Baldie" Shaw, to injure him if he beat him again.

Taylor's response was to nutmeg Baldie and sprint away.

Proud Preston had a long history of signing Scots and Taylor joined a tartan colony which included Scotland captains Willie Cunningham and Tommy Docherty, inside forward Sammy Baird - who was quickly on his way to Rangers - and Scotland B winger Angus Morrison.

On the face of it, maybe moving to Deepdale was not the best career choice for an ambitious young Scottish outside right. The incumbent in Preston's number-seven shirt was none other than the great (Sir) Tom Finney, but, after a year in the reserves, with occasional first team call-ups when Finney was on England duty, Taylor, like the legendary "Preston Plumber" with England, switched wings and displaced Morrison.

He went on to play 166 games for the club, the first of these in a 4-3 Deepdale win over Newcastle United in August 1955. Preston were an established First Division (now Premiership) team in those days and the first of Taylor's 48 goals for the club came later that first season, against Manchester United, at Old Trafford.

As one North End fan remarked on learning of Sammy's passing: "He scored a goal every three and a half games; in today's game a winger who scored at that rate would be worth £20 million."

In February 1957, Taylor accomplished something which not even the wonderful Sir Tom Finney had managed, scoring a hat-trick from the wing, as Preston stuffed Portsmouth 7-1. He was the first Preston winger to score a hat-trick in over 25 years.

He spent six happy seasons with Preston in all, hitting double figures in goals in three of these seasons, and becoming a firm favourite among the fans, before moving on to Carlisle United.

At Brunton Park, he continued to achieve success. He played more than 100 games for the Cumbrians, and twice enjoyed promotion from Division Three North to Division Two as the club "enjoyed" a yo-yo spell. He signed off with a goal against Rochdale in the match with which Carlisle clinched that second promotion, before returning to Lancashire, with Southport.

He spent a single season at Haig Road, then switched to non-league football, combining playing out his career with Morecambe with his day job at Leyland Trucks.

Taylor had always lived in Preston since moving to the town; he later worked for British Aerospace up until retirement, continuing to follow Preston after his active career ended.

He was one of the founder members of the Preston North End Former Players' Association and was always active in its work, while, away from the game, he enjoyed his game of bowls at nearby Longton Bowling Club.

Taylor, whose final months were blighted, like so many of his footballing contemporaries, by Alzheimer's, died peacefully in hospital in Preston on 6 November. He is survived by his wife Jean and sons John, Gordon and David, his grandchildren and great-grand-children. He was pre-deceased by another son, Sammy Junior.