TAYLOR ‘PROUD’ OF GOAL SCORING END TO SEASON

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U18s striker reflects on his time as a first-year scholar

2026-06-22T09:00:00.000Z

TAYLOR ‘PROUD’ OF GOAL SCORING END TO SEASON

U18s striker reflects on his time as a first-year scholar

2026-06-22T09:00:00.000Z

U18s striker reflects on his time as a first-year scholar

For Warren Taylor, a goal-filled five-week spell was the perfect way to end a season tainted with the challenges brought by injury.

The Huddersfield-born striker penned two-year scholarship terms heading into 2025/26, joining Tony Philliskirk’s U18s squad.

After a productive pre-season trip to Poznan with the rest of the team his season started well, but the first of two setbacks soon put an end to that momentum.

“Heading into season I was excited,” Taylor reflected.

“At the start I was wondering if I was going to play that much, but I remember then coming into pre-season and getting more opportunities than I thought I would.

“Then I started the first few games of the season, and I was happy with that. I was surprised, but within myself I knew that I could do it.

“In the first couple of games it was just about trying to build my confidence, because I’d never played U18s football.

“I settled in quite nicely until I got injured with a 3c hamstring in September, and that had me out for three months.

“We played a game against Derby on the Saturday, and then on the Monday I got told I was training with the U21s.

“I came out of education for that and in that session, I planted my foot on the outside of a rondo and my hamstring just went.

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“Then when I came back, the day before I was meant to play my first game, I did a 2c in my hamstring.

“I was out for the same time period as the first one, because it was about being cautious so it didn’t happen again.

“It didn’t need surgery because it was only eight centimetres, but it was still tough mentally.

“My family were really supportive, and my dad would come and see me, because it can get a bit lonely in digs.

“Most of the time I was injured Tebbs (Jack Tebbutt – Former First Team Player Care Lead) would take me out and that helped quite a bit too.”

Taylor wasn’t able to find the back of the net before picking up that first injury in a U18 Premier League match away at Derby County on Saturday 20th September.

He then had to wait 176 days, almost six months, for his next competitive appearance, which came at Middlesbrough on Saturday 14th March 2026.

“I came on at half-time because Destiny (Okonkwo) had a bit of a knock,” Taylor continued.

“I was only on half an hour as well so I had to come back off, but when I came on I gave it everything because it had been so long. I’d never gone that long without playing before.

“I was really excited and made an impact on the game.

“At the end I was really tired, but happy!”

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After gradually increasing his minutes and continuing to build confidence in his body, the Yorkshireman earned his first start back against Newcastle United in April.

The 17-year-old scored his first goal of the season that day, triggering a run of seven goals in five games to end 2025/26 on a high.

The very final game was a day to remember for him and the team, as Taylor scored a hat-trick in a 7-4 victory over Leeds United at Burnley Training Centre.

“I’m really proud, to be honest,” he said when asked to reflect on that spell.

“It was against Newcastle that I scored my first goal and we had a lot of younger players playing, so I went into the game thinking that we might struggle a little bit.

“I needed a goal to get my confidence and once I got it, that confidence sky rocketed and I felt like I was going to score in every game.

“I used that going into Stoke and scored a brace and scored another one at Derby.

“I like finishing in tight spaces, and I’d say I’m very good at having a touch and getting it out of my feet.

“I also like heading and feel like I’ve got quite good accuracy with that, even though I’m not the tallest striker ever.

“All my friends back home were messaging me about that (the Leeds match) and they were buzzing, so I was happy.

“I played for Huddersfield when I was younger, and it’s always nice to score against Leeds.

“Hopefully next season I can carry on where I left off and see where that takes me.”