Taylor's tenure - a look back (From Bucks Free Press)

Taylor's tenure - a look back

1:09pm Friday 9th October 2009

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PETER Taylor's 16-month tenure at Wycombe Wanderers was a roller-coaster ride packed with the highs of promotion and the lows of League One.

Here is a look back at the former England caretaker manager's time at Adams Park.

Taylor joined Wycombe from Stevenage Borough in May last year following the resignation of now Norwich City boss Paul Lambert, following Wanderers' failure to reach the League Two play-off final.

At a Wanderers press conference announcing Taylor’s appointment, Chairboys' MD Steve Hayes said Taylor was the 'first and last choice' for the Blues board and he was the only candidate interviewed despite receiving dozens of high calibre' applications.

Hayes said at the time: "He was the one we wanted and we have turned down a lot of very good people to get him.

"We were looking for stability, someone to pull the club together and someone to win promotion and with Peter we believe we've got that."

At the conference Taylor said: "I have come here to win promotion. I think Wycombe have under-achieved in League Two and I feel that everybody connected with Wycombe thinks we should at least be in the next division."

And at the start of last season, Taylor seemed intent on living up to his word as the team soared to the top of the League Two table, sweaping all before them with an efficient habit of scoring goals at vital moments.

But the team had a wobble in the new year as the goal tally fell and more defeats came their way.

Eventually Wanderers' promotion went right down to the wire as the Blues missed several chances to secure a place in League One – setting up a final day showdown with Notts County.

A record number of fans poured into Adams Park to witness the drama unfold before them – as fans were left with a bittersweet taste in their mouths as the Blues went down 2-1 to the Magpies.

The team was forced to endure an agonising five minute wait before the stadium announcer sent the packed ground into raptures with the news that Bury had failed to score two at Accrington Stanley to send the Chairboys up on goal difference.

But 11 games into the new season, the Blues are the lowest scorers in the division and marooned in the League One drop zone with just 6 points on the board.

Taylor bought in eight players before Wanderers' battling first-day display away to giants Charlton, including the permanent signing of new captain Michael Duberry.

An encouraging display in the 1-0 home defeat to big-guns Leeds United and the one-all draw with Southend gave the fans something to get their teeth into, before Taylor's men recorder their first win of the season against Bristol Rovers at the end of August.

Portsmouth teenager Marlon Pack joined on loan and Wanderers beat the transfer deadline by just three minutes to re-sign Kevin Betsey to bolster the squad.

But the wheels came off the Chairboys' bandwaggon as they picked up just one point from five league games in September and suffered penalty shoot-out heartbreak as they were dumped out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy by Northampton.

The final nail in Taylor's coffin came last Saturday when former Wycombe hot-shot Scott McGleish headed home the winning goal against Wanderers for Leyton Orient.

Taylor had infamously ushered the striker out of Adams Park after a public falling out.

Taylor, who has managed several clubs throughout his career including Leicester City, Hull City and Crystal Palace,equalled Neil Warnock's record for league promotions, winning his fifth as Wanderers manager.

He spent three successful years in charge of the England Under-21s side and famously gave David Beckham the England captaincy for the first time as England caretaker boss in the game against Italy.

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