Wales Under-21 coach Matty Jones has hailed Luton hero Joe Taylor’s “fight and determination” to rise from the ninth tier of English football to the Premier League.
Taylor was sent out on loan by King’s Lynn to Eastern Counties League Premier Division club Wroxham at the start of the 2021-22 season.
It proved plain sailing as Taylor scored 21 goals in 13 games for the ninth-tier Yachtsmen, sparking Peterborough’s interest and a move to the English Football League in November 2021.
Taylor made just a dozen league appearances for Posh before signing for Luton in January and his season ended in the most dramatic fashion.
The 20-year-old forward, on as a substitute, converted a penalty in the Hatters’ Wembley shoot-out victory over Coventry that secured Premier League football next season.
“To see Joe come on at Wembley was special,” said Jones, who has included Taylor in the squad for Wales’ opening 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier in Denmark on Tuesday.
“I spoke to him before the game and he didn’t expect to be on the bench. Just to be part of it and experience the day was his main goal.
“One thing he’s got is fight and determination, not to prove people wrong but to prove to himself that he’s good enough.
I felt confident standing over the ball
Easy to say that, he was doing it at Wembley
