TAYLOR AIM TO BE TOP HATTER

JOE TAYLOR was walking on air at Wembley last year – but he was never seduced by delusions of grandeur after his role in Luton Town’s play-off triumph.

The striker, 21, was denied a dream goal by VAR before converting in a nail-biting penalty shoot-out win over Coventry City.

But while Taylor’s teammates spent the summer dreaming of rubbing shoulders with England’s elite in the Premier League, he knew his next chapter was likely to be written in the lower leagues. Undaunted,

Taylor (above) has scored 21 goals across loan spells in both League Two and League One.

His red-hot form for Lincoln City, who he joined in January, has landed him the EFL Young Player of the Month award and the League One Player of the Month prize. “It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” says Taylor. “To win two awards is massive.

“I did well in my first loan spell at Colchester on a personal level.

“Then a loan out here. You have to hit the reset button. It took me a couple of games to get going, but once I did, I’ve been able to pick up where I left off.”

Taylor has notched nine goals in 16 games for the Imps – who were unbeaten in 17 matches before being stunned by Wigan Athletic.

Those figures underline why Mick Harford (circle), Luton’s Chief Recruitment Officer, was so eager to bring him to Kenilworth Road from Peterborough United last year.

A striker with more than 90 goals of his own for Luton, Harford has become a mentor to Taylor, who was playing for Wroxham in the ninth-tier in 2021.

“To be able to go to someone like Mick is brilliant,” Taylor adds.

“He’s always there for me. If I keep doing what I’m doing, I’ve got a good chance of going in at

Luton next year.”