Jeff Taylor (footballer)

Jeffrey Neilson Taylor (20 September 1930 – 28 December 2010) was an English professional football forward, who played in the Football League for Huddersfield Town, Fulham and Brentford. He went on to perform opera.[3]

Jeff Taylor
Personal information
Full name Jeffrey Neilson Taylor[1]
Date of birth (1930-09-20)20 September 1930
Place of birth Huddersfield, England
Date of death 28 December 2010(2010-12-28) (aged 80)[2]
Place of death Holmfirth, England
Playing position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1949–1951 Huddersfield Town 68 (27)
1951–1954 Fulham 33 (14)
1954–1957 Brentford 94 (34)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Football career

In an eight-year career as a professional footballer, Taylor played in the First Division, Second Division and Third Division South of the Football League for Huddersfield Town, Fulham and Brentford respectively.[1] Taylor scored in double-figures in his first two seasons with Huddersfield Town.[4] He moved to Fulham in November 1951 and scored a hat-trick in one of his early appearances against Middlesbrough,[2][5] before his music studies began to take precedence and he dropped out of the first team picture.[6] He was Brentford's second-highest scorer in the 1956–57 season, his last in football.[1] Taylor finished his career having scored 84 goals in 204 games.[1] Looking back in 1997 on his premature retirement, Taylor said, "singing won the day. I had no long-term ambitions in football and I realised that it was impossible to marry the two".[6]

Opera career

While still a footballer, Taylor was able to use his wages to pay for his studies in singing and piano at the Royal Academy of Music.[6] Taylor performed opera under the name "Neilson Taylor" and was a bass baritone. After retiring from football, he joined the Yorkshire Opera Company.[6] Taylor moved on in 1962 to understudy Michel Roux in Pelléas et Mélisande and Walter Alberti and John Shirley-Quirk in L'incoronazione di Poppea at Glyndebourne.[6] His time at Glyndebourne proved to be a breakthrough and he toured the world, spending time in Australia and a year at Mantua in Italy, which led to work at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and in Rotterdam.[3] Taylor failed fully to deliver on his promise as a singer, but found fulfilment when he was made Professor of Singing at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in Glasgow and he remained in the role for 18 years.[3]

Personal life

His younger brother, Ken Taylor also played football for Huddersfield.[6] Ken was also a professional cricketer, playing three Tests for England and first-class cricket for Yorkshire.[6] Ken's son (Jeff's nephew) Nick Taylor also played cricket for Yorkshire. While still a footballer, Taylor studied for a degree in Geography at London University.[6] After retiring from teaching, Taylor retired to Yorkshire.[3]

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Huddersfield Town 1949–50[4] First Division 21 11 0 0 21 11
1950–51[4] 34 11 3 2 37 13
1951–52[4] 13 5 ― 13 5
Total 68 27 3 2 71 29
Fulham 1951–52[5] First Division 21 4 0 0 21 4
Brentford 1954–55[7] Third Division South 13 4 0 0 13 4
1955–56[7] 43 15 2 1 45 16
1956–57[7] 38 15 2 2 40 17
Total 94 34 4 3 98 37
Career total 203 73 7 5 210 78
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References
  1. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 158. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  2. "Jeff Taylor". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  3. Chalke, Stephen. "Jeff Taylor: Footballer who went on to forge a career as a popular singer and inspirational teacher". The Independent. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  4. "Huddersfield Town AFC Archive - Players - Player Profile". www.htafcarchive.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  5. Jeff Taylor at WorldFootball.net
  6. Brentford Matchday Magazine versus Grimsby Town. Quay Design of Poole. 30 August 1997. p. 22.
  7. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 383–384. ISBN 0951526200.
  • Ian Thomas, Owen Thomas, Alan Hodgson, John Ward (2007). 99 Years and Counting: Stats and Stories. Huddersfield Town A.F.C. ISBN 095572810X.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • The Independent obituary, 29 January 2011.
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