Ipswich Town midfielder Jack Taylor says he’s determined to force his way into the starting XI.
The 25-year-old arrived in a £1.5m deal from Peterborough United this summer, but the outstanding form of midfield duo Sam Morsy and Massimo Luongo have restricted him to just one Championship start so far – the 1-0 win at Southampton.
Some impressive displays in the Carabao Cup have the uncapped Republic of Ireland international knocking on the door though ahead of another busy few weeks of action.
“Not playing so often so far has been tough to be honest,” admits the former Chelsea youngster, who kick-started his career at Barnet before moving back up the pyramid with Peterborough.
“I’ve not been used to it. I don’t remember ever not starting the first game of the season and things like that, but that shows what a strong squad we have and how many good players there are here.
“So I’m just working really hard in training and working on things I need to improve on. Every chance I get, I’m going to take with both hands. When the chance comes, I’ll be ready. I need to perform, I know that, and I need to help the team as much as I can.”
Following on from the second international break of the season, high-flying Town return to action at struggling Rotherham on Friday night in a Sky televised fixture. After that comes a midweek trip to Bristol City (Weds, Oct 25)
Whether Taylor gets the nod for any of those games remains to be seen. If not, there’s a good chance he’ll start the Carabao Cup fourth round match with Premier League club Fulham, at Portman Road, on Wednesday, November 1.
Looking back on his stunning 25-yard strike that sealed a 3-2 comeback win against Wolves in the previous round, Taylor said: “I was pretty pleased with that to be honest! I do like to shoot from that sort of range and I will always back myself in those situations. Thankfully it flew in the top corner.
“It was a great team move from the lads. I picked up a position that the manager has talked to me about before, so it wasn’t just off the cuff. We train for situations like that, so it was just a lovely goal in every respect. I’m just thankful it won us the game and got us into the next round.”
Lee Evans stepped in when skipper Morsy was suspended for the recent 1-1 draw at Huddersfield, but the Welshman is now facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines following knee surgery.
Town’s central midfield options still comprise of Morsy, Luongo, Taylor, Dominic Ball and Cameron Humphreys, with Idris El Mizouni (Leyton Orient) and Panutche Camara (Charlton) both currently out on loan.
