Football Some Rovers fans stepped over the line, says Taylor
MATTY Taylor says sections of the Bristol Rovers support stepped “over the line” with some of their chants towards him during Sunday’s FA Cup tie, which only spurred him on to score against them.
Taylor, who registered 68 goals in 134 games for the Gas between 2014-2016 before infamously joining Bristol City in January 2017, opened the scoring in the 2-2 draw, with Rovers backed by 797 fans.
The 31-year-old celebrated his 11th-minute strike by cupping his ear to the away section at the Kassam Stadium, having been subjected to various chants from kickoff.
“That’s kind of for the people who step over the line with their remarks,” he told the Oxford Mail. “I’ve got massive respect for the real fans, but there are obviously some idiots that say stupid things and it’s going to rile you up.”
It was the fourth time Taylor had faced Rovers in a competitive fixture since leaving the club, with his return to the Memorial Stadium in August 2019 particularly unsavoury, but the other two League One matches last season were all played behind closed doors.
The blue and white part of the ground were certainly hostile towards the forward during Sunday’s FA Cup tie and the Bristol Post heard one chant which contained the words, “We’re gonna have a party when Matty Taylor’s dead”. Several Gasheads then took to social media after the game to condemn the singing of it.
“I was expecting a bit of volatility, so it was nice to get a goal,” Taylor added. “I’ve said before I enjoyed my time there immensely and made friends for life, that’s tarnished with a few fans.
“There’s a few that step over the line with a few chants and that spurs me on to make sure I score.”
The striker experienced a busy afternoon, scoring one, hitting the post twice and earning a booking after 30 minutes following an incident with Alfie Kilgour.
Taylor backed into Kilgour under a high ball and Rovers players were adamant the striker had used his elbow, with midfielder Sam Finley particularly incensed, earning himself a booking for his protests.
Rovers boss Joey Barton claimed Taylor was fortunate to stay on the field for the incident, with the striker insisting it wasn’t even worthy of a caution but a late challenge right before half-time on Connor Taylor was. “I’ve backed in and he’s dipped his head and headed my shoulder,” Taylor added. “They’ve sprinted in saying I’ve elbowed him. The other one probably was a yellow and that one wasn’t.”