GLOVERS NEWS: Dave Taylor was a real Yeovil Town legend

IT is almost a cliché these days when you hear people say that the “word legend gets banded about far too easily” but it was that word “legend” which instantly sprung to the fore when news of the death of former Yeovil Town ace marksman Dave Taylor was announced.

The club put out a short five-paragraph statement on Monday (March 13, 2017) afternoon to say that Dave Taylor had passed away at the age of 76 and immediately Yeovil Town fans of a certain generation would almost certainly have cast their minds back to when the Kent-born striker became the hottest striker to have ever graced the sloping pitch of Huish.

He scored 284 goals for the Glovers between 1960 and 1969 and notched up 436 appearances – one goal every 1.53 games – and was very much the “fox in the box” scoring many from close range.

His goal scoring tally, which has put him firmly at the top of the post-war scoring chart for Yeovil, is unlikely ever to be beaten.

PHOTO - TOP: The old Huish ground and Dave Taylor.

PHOTO - RIGHT: Dave Taylor.

Taylor arrived at Yeovil Town for the 1960-61 season with Basil Hayward as player-manager and scored a whopping 59 goals in all competitions including 46 goals in the Southern League which saw the Glovers finish third behind runners-up Chelmsford City and champions Oxford United.

Dave Taylor was the only player to take part in all 59 games played that season and he scored 59 goals in the process – a fantastic achievement at any level of football of any generation.

In 1961-62 he scored 41 to make it a remarkable 100 goals for the Glovers in just two seasons. The following campaign he had a “disappointing” total of 24 goals with Yeovil finishing mid-table.

But he was back to his imperious best in 1963-64 with 48 goals in all competitions as Yeovil won the Southern League Premier Division title by four points from second-placed Chelmsford City.

In 1964-65 he scored 20 goals, bettered by Malcolm Hirst with 23, as Yeovil finished fourth in the league.

Twenty-one goals came Taylor’s way in 1965-66 and then 36 in 1966-67, 13 in 1967-69 and 22 in 1968-69 which proved to be his last season at Huish with the Glovers with Ron Saunders as manager.

PHOTO - RIGHT: Huish.

Taylor left Yeovil and went on to play for Bath City and Cheltenham Town.

Sadly, it is understood that Taylor never saw Yeovil Town play at Huish Park when they moved to their new ground from Huish in 1990.

A club spokesman said: “Yeovil Town are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of club legend Dave Taylor.

“Everyone at the club sends its condolences to Dave’s family and friends at this sad time.”

A spokesman for the Glovers Trust supporters’ group added: “Fans from the 1960s will remember Dave Taylor with fondness – his goals were aplenty and he was without question one of the club’s greatest players of all-time, if not the greatest.

“It is highly unlikely that his goal scoring record will ever be broken and his name has been etched into Yeovil Town folklore for ever.

“We would like to express our deepest condolences to all of Dave’s family and friends. He will always be remembered by Yeovil Town supporters.”

Top Ten Post-War Goalscorers for Yeovil Town: 1 Dave Taylor 284; 2 Dick Plumb 150; 3 Warren Patmore 140; 4 Terry Foley 112; 5 Mickey Spencer 104; 6 Chris Weller 104; 7 Terry Cotton 84; 8 Mick Reid 83; 9 Cliff Myers 81; 10 John Clancy 79.

YEOVIL Town coverage is sponsored on this website by the Glovers Trust.  The Yeovil Town Supporters’ Society Ltd – known as the Glovers Trust – is a democratic, not for profit organisation, committed to giving supporters a strong unified voice in the decision making process at Yeovil Town FC and strengthening the links between the club and the community that it serves.

Adult membership to join the Glovers Trust is just £10 per year, while it is just £1 per year for those aged Under-16; and £100 per year for a corporate membership.

For more details – go to the Glovers’ Trust website at http://www.glovers-trust.co.uk/ .

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