McKenna: Fantastic Achievement For Taylor
Monday, 24th Feb 2025 17:15

Town manager Kieran McKenna says making 20 Premier League appearances this season is a fantastic achievement for Jack Taylor.

The midfielder, signed from Peterborough United in the summer ahead of the Championship promotion season, has made one Premier League start in addition to 19 appearances from the bench with only six players having featured more often for the Blues during 2024/25.

The one-time Barnet man bagged the last-gasp winner at Wolves in December, completing the rare feat of scoring in the top five divisions, as well as the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

McKenna was asked whether he has conversations with the 26-year-old Republic of Ireland international about his role coming off the bench or trying to push for more games from the start.

“I think both are probably true at the same time,” he said. “Jack is at 20 Premier League appearances now and if you go through the season, he's probably one of our highest appearances across the whole squad.

“So, for his trajectory, I think that's a fantastic achievement and I think he's fully aware, as all the squad are, that appearances aren't just given out, they're earned.

“And Jack's earned his by how he trains and how he performs when he comes on the pitch off the bench very commonly.

“So he knows, and he also had lots of appearances off the bench last year, how important we feel that the players who come on in the later stages of games are.

“It's a role that he's done very, very well and I think it's a role that is very, very important. And to do that in a Premier League squad is a really good achievement. You're in a good place in your career.

“He's made his international debut this year as well, which is something I'm really proud of, so he's progressing in a really good way.

“Now, on the other hand, every player wants to start games and Jack is no different from that. He's competing well to start. He played well against Bournemouth when he did start his only Premier League game this year.

“But he's also had significant minutes in a lot of games. As well as competing well off the bench, he's also probably found himself behind Jens [Cajuste] in terms of the competition for the starting position very often and I think Jens's performances have been of a very, very high and very consistent level.

“So, I think it's very true and it certainly has been the case here that, especially with the five substitute rule and the intensity of the challenge for us going up to the Championship and into the Premier League, that we're going to make changes in the forward positions. And Jack, as a midfielder, has been one of the most common changes. But also he's competing like all the other players to start any given game.

“He knows, like all the squad knows, that as a group of staff and as manager we'll make those decisions on what we feel is best for the team going into every game to give us the best opportunity.”

McKenna also reiterated how pleased he has been with keeper Alex Palmer since he joined the club on deadline day from West Brom for an initial £2 million.

“He's had a good start,” he added. “He's had three games and only a handful of training sessions, but he's settled in really well into the group.

“He had a good game in the FA Cup [at Coventry] and a good game against Aston Villa. I don't think there was much he could have done on Saturday really about any of the goals, but even if there was any goalkeeper, any player can make a mistake.

“But he's settled into the group really well and he's given us a lot of good things at the training ground and has done well in the matches.”

Photo: Gareth Evans/News Images/Sipa USA

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