Steven Taylor admits that he is living the dream by playing for Newcastle.
Steven Taylor admits that he is living the dream by playing for his home-town club Newcastle.The youngster has established himself as a key figure for The Magpies with his no-nonsense approach to defending, but he admits it is an amazing feeling to be playing for the club he supported as a child.
And the 21-year-old claims he is determined to silence the critics who have derided Newcastle's defence for a number of years.
"It's what I have always dreamed of doing, and I still can't quite believe I am doing it," he told the Daily Mail. "I remember going to a European tie against Barcelona as a kid, when Tino Asprilla scored a hat-trick, and thinking it was the best night of my life. Every goal that went in, the noise got louder, and I wondered then what it must feel like to be out there in the middle.
"A couple of years later, I got the chance to be one of the ball boys, and the same thought crossed my mind. I stepped on to the pitch to sidefoot the ball to Pavel Srnicek, turned round at the sea of faces and thought: 'If only'. Now Pav's a team-mate, and I'm living out my dream. It's unreal.
"It's just the most amazing adrenalin rush when you've got a full house screaming at you at St James'. There is nothing like it, nothing."
Defending has been Newcastle's Achilles heel for a number of years, but Taylor is determined to play a part in shoring up the back four.
"For the past 10 or 15 years, all I have known is our back four being hammered," he admitted. "If I could help persuade people to say a few positive things about us before I've finished, I'd settle for that."
