Taylor eager to complete journey from non-league to international stage with Ireland
DEBUT BOY? Jack Taylor during a Republic of Ireland press conference. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Here’s a curious one. Jack Taylor has caught the eye of the last three Republic of Ireland senior managers stretching back five years and still finds himself holding out for an international debut at the age of 26.
London-born and bred, the Ipswich Town midfielder qualifies for Ireland via his grandfather Jim Skelly who emigrated to the UK from Longford.
It was 2019 when Stephen Kenny, then the manager with the Republic’s U21s, plucked him from the obscurity of non-league, fifth-tier football with Barnet and into his squad for the prestigious Toulon Tournament.
“I was shocked, to be fair, I was at a National League club at the time. I knew I was on his radar because he was coming to my games and stuff. I’m thinking, ‘Just try and play the best I can. If I get a call-up it’ll be a step forward in my career.’
“I was delighted when he called me up to the 21s. The Toulon Tournament was my first one. I was delighted with that. I played quite well in two games I played. That fed me into the system. Since then, it’s not looked too far away for me.”
Taylor had already made his mark on Mick McCarthy before the trip to France when he scored both goals in a 2-1 win for the U21s in a practice match against the then-senior manager’s Irish side.
Kenny then called him into the senior squad in 2020, a day after appearing for the U21s in Italy. That required a rushed flight back to Dublin and a strange kind of glory given it was Covid and he couldn’t exactly mix with his new teammates.
Three years later and Kenny was still lavishing him with praise after Taylor brushed off the disappointment of Peterborough United’s League One playoff loss to Sheffield Wednesday to report for a four-day international camp held in Bristol.
Now just to earn that elusive cap under Heimir Hallgrimsson.
“I’ve been obviously a bit gutted when I haven’t been called up and questioned why I wasn’t given the opportunity but these things happen in football. It’s just one of those things you have to get on with and eventually, it has come again.”
Chat with the Ireland manager has been limited since his recall but Hallgrimsson has already shared his hope that Taylor can bring a “different aspect” to the team’s midfield play. Irish supporters will hope for something similar given the team’s weaknesses in the centre.
It’s worth noting that, of the six midfielders in Ireland’s squad for this window’s Nations League double-header away to Finland and Greece, Taylor is the only one plying his trade with a Premier League club. That’s eye-opening.
Kieran McKenna has seen fit to bring him off the bench six times in the league for Ipswich, his total contribution amounting to 109 minutes. That leaves him fourth of four in terms of Ipswich’s green contingent, but fifth of the ten Irish squad players in England’s top tier.
His next step at Portman Road is to get a run from the off.
“We have some great midfielders at the minute with Kalvin (Phillips) and Sam Morsy and Jens (Cajuste) who came in from Napoli. I knew there was going to be loads of competition getting promoted to the Premier League.
“But I believe in myself, that I was good enough to fight for my position, and the last couple of weeks show that I have. Hopefully, I will get that start.
"It is just about training right and bringing the best of myself every day.”
Ipswich are the bulk supplier to this Ireland squad but their quartet reported in last weekend having contributed varying amounts to the club’s cause over the opening two months of the domestic campaign to date.
Dara O’Shea has played 90 minutes in all four of his games since joining late. Sammie Szmodics, who Taylor knows well from their days together at Peterborough United, and Chiedozie Ogbene have been spending more time of late on the bench.
Most of the talk around the Tractor Boys right now centres on Liam Delap with his three goals in seven Premier League games, but hopes that he might declare for Ireland seem to rest between slim and none as it stands.
The rules governing eligibility are grey at best but featuring for the England U21s in this window would seem to leave little to no wiggle room for a change of allegiance going forward.
Taylor is respecting that for now.
“To be honest, I’ve not really spoken to him about it. He’s a great lad. I think he’s committed to play for England at the minute, unless he decides to change. Then I think we’d be happy enough to get him on board.”
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