Now in his second spell at the club, young Fisher shot stopper Tommy Taylor reflects on the season just gone and discusses his England debut.
The 21/22 Season
It’s been an “up and down kind of year” for Taylor, who missed the first three months of the season due to a blood clot in his shoulder. Despite featuring virtually every game since, Tommy is aware his injury isn’t healing correctly, “the hospital initially told me to rest which I did and honestly, I should still be resting as it’s not getting any better. But missing a whole season of football just isn’t an option for me.” Aware of that perhaps foolish choice Tommy followed with “yes I know I’m an idiot.”
It’s been a frustrating year for Fisher, who had top 10 ambitions at the start of the season, despite falling slightly short and finishing 13th, Tommy is quick to praise manager Ajay Ashanike “The best way to describe Ajay as a manager is probably, eccentric. Do I always agree with the way he does certain things? No, but I respect him and what he does for the club. What he’s done with us this season is nothing short of a miracle.”
When asked about his future and whether it was at the Fish, Taylor was calm and honest in his answer “next season I’d love to be able to push on into the league above and try and make a real name for myself in the non-league pyramid.” He was quick to praise the manager again, who rather than be disappointed at losing his number one, encourages his players to want to play at the highest level possible, “Ajay and the club know this, and he doesn’t hold that against me or anyone else in the team, he actually loves that we want to push on as individuals. He encourages it and will help us in any way he can.”
England 6-a-side
Recently, Tommy made his England debut and has been involved with the England 6’s for a couple of years, admitting “mainly just being used for training.” In the middle of April Tommy travelled with the rest of the squad to Hungary to face participate in two friendlies, Hungary ranking second in the world for 6-a-side. Unsurprisingly, this is a particular highlight for Tommy who said “For me that’s up there in terms of personal highlight in my life. It was definitely an experience I’ll never forget and cherish for the rest of my life.” Tommy’s got a future World Cup in site “we’re travelling to Croatia for a mini tournament soon against Germany and Croatia, which again I’m very proud to be a part of and will never forget these moments. Hopefully I do well enough to get picked for the World Cup team later this year.”
For now, Jordan Pickford’s spot is probably safe, but the future still looks bright for Fisher’s young keeper who should hopefully make his way to his own World Cup.