Gary Taylor-Fletcher

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For the blues musician, see Gary Fletcher (musician).
Gary Taylor-Fletcher

Taylor-Fletcher playing for Blackpool in 2010
Personal information
Full nameGary Taylor-Fletcher[1]
Date of birth (1981-06-04) 4 June 1981
Place of birthWidnes, England
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Playing positionForward
Club information
Current clubLeicester City
Number22
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1999–2001Northwich Victoria43(11)
2001→ Hull City (loan)5(0)
2001–2003Leyton Orient21(1)
2001–2002→ Grays Athletic (loan)4(3)
2002→ Dagenham & Redbridge (loan)3(1)
2002–2003→ Dagenham & Redbridge (loan)5(0)
2003–2005Lincoln City90(30)
2005–2007Huddersfield Town82(21)
2007–2013Blackpool215(36)
2013–Leicester City12(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10:14, 12 January 2014 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).

Gary Taylor-Fletcher (né Fletcher, born 4 June 1981) is an English footballer for Leicester City. He has scored in each of the top five divisions of English football. He has been known as Gary Taylor-Fletcher since his marriage to Viv Taylor in June 2004.[3][4]

Taylor-Fletcher began his senior career at Northwich Victoria in 1999, and made 43 league appearances whilst at the club. Towards the end of his time there, he had a brief loan spell with Hull City, before switching permanently to Leyton Orient in June 2001. He struggled to break into the Leyton Orient team, and spent a loan spell at Grays Athletic, and two at Dagenham & Redbridge. In August 2003, after 21 league appearances for Leyton Orient, Taylor-Fletcher joined Lincoln City; a successful spell saw him play 90 league games in two seasons. He then moved to Huddersfield Town in June 2005, making 81 league appearances in two seasons. Taylor-Fletcher then joined Blackpool in July 2007, and established himself as a regular player for the club. After 215 league appearances for Blackpool, he joined current club Leicester City in September 2013.

Career

Roofing

Born in Widnes, Taylor-Fletcher pursued a successful career in roofing[5] working for his uncle in the Liverpool and Manchester areas.[6] It was during this time he was spotted by Northwich Victoria scouts while playing a charity friendly against a local team made up of labourers.[7]

Northwich Victoria

He began his career playing semi-pro football (as Gary Fletcher) with Conference National club Northwich Victoria in 1999, with whom he scored eleven goals in 43 appearances. On 16 March 2001 he went on loan to Hull City who were then in the Third Division, the fourth tier of the Football League, where he made five appearances in two months at the club.[8]

Leyton Orient

On 8 June 2001 Fletcher was signed by another Third Division club, Leyton Orient from Northwich for a fee of £50,000 as he had scored twice against them. Later that year he was sent out on loan to Grays Athletic who were then in the Isthmian League. Fletcher scored three goals in four league games in a loan spell that lasted from 21 December 2001 to 1 March 2002. In October he spent a month on loan at Conference National club Dagenham & Redbridge, before returning for a second loan spell in December, staying until March 2003.[8]

Lincoln City

On 14 August 2003 he signed for Lincoln City on a free transfer, where he was reunited with former Northwich Victoria coach Keith Alexander.[9] In two years with the Imps Taylor-Fletcher made 90 appearances scoring thirty goals.[8] At the start of the 2004–05 season he equalled a 106-year old club record when he scored in all six opening games.[10] He also won the Supporters Player of the Year award for the 2003–04 season[11] and played for them in the Football League Two play-off final in May 2005, which they lost to Southend United.[12]

Huddersfield Town

Taylor-Fletcher was acquired by Huddersfield Town on a free transfer from Lincoln City on 14 June 2005.[8] He scored a hat-trick against Chesterfield in the League Cup.

During October and November, Taylor-Fletcher was consistently competing with strikers Paweł Abbott and Andy Booth for a place in the starting line-up, and on most occasions he had to settle for a place on the bench. However, during late December, he came off the bench to score two last-minute equalisers against Rotherham United and Barnsley.

In the New Year, Town manager, Peter Jackson used him as a right winger, and he scored the majority of the team's goals in the 2006–07 season. On 8 August 2006, Taylor-Fletcher scored the 500,000th goal in The Football League, with a 25-yard drive into the top-left corner, to lead the Terriers to a 3–0 home victory over Rotherham United.[13]

In January 2006, he scored against Chelsea in an FA Cup third-round match at Stamford Bridge, which, for seven minutes, put Town on level terms with the Premier League champions.

Towards the end of the season, he scored some more crucial goals against Barnsley and Bournemouth, before scoring Town's only goal in the first leg of the play-offs against Barnsley at Oakwell.

Blackpool

On 9 July 2007, Taylor-Fletcher signed for Blackpool for an undisclosed fee in a two-year deal, ahead of the Seasiders' first season back in the second tier of English football since 1978. He made his debut in the Championship in the club's first league match of the 2007–08 season, a 1–0 win over Leicester City at the Walkers Stadium on 11 August 2007.[14] He scored his first goal for the club two weeks later, on 25 August, in a 2–1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Stadium,[15] and went on to score six goals that season. On 20 September 2008 he scored at St Andrew's as Blackpool beat Birmingham City 1–0. In doing so, he became the first player to score against the Blues in the League at St Andrew's in the 2008–09 season and also help Blackpool become the first club to beat them at home since Chelsea in the Premier League in January.[12]

In his first league start since 20 October 2009, Taylor-Fletcher scored twice in a 3–0 win over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on 8 December. His 100th league appearance for Blackpool came on 9 February 2010, in a 2–0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

Taylor-Fletcher scored in the 39th minute of the 2010 Football League Championship play-off Final against Cardiff City on 22 May 2010.[16] Blackpool were the victors, thus completing Taylor-Fletcher's journey from non-League football to the Premier League since the turn of the millennium.

On 14 August 2010, he scored Blackpool's first-ever Premier League goal, in a 4–0 win over Wigan Athletic on the opening day of the 2010–11 season at the DW Stadium.[17] Twelve months later, Taylor-Fletcher also scored the first goal (for Blackpool and in all) of the 2011–12 Football League season, in a single-goal victory against Hull City at the KC Stadium.[18] He was released in the summer of 2013 after his Blackpool contract expired.

Leicester City

On 20 September 2013, Taylor-Fletcher joined Leicester City on a one-year deal.[19] He made his debut just a day later coming on as a late substitute against his former side Blackpool. He scored his first goal for the Foxes in a 5-3 win over Bolton Wanderers at the King Power Stadium.

Career statistics

As of 17 October 2010
Club performance League Cup League Cup Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
England League FA Cup League Cup Total
1999–2000Northwich VictoriaConference National193--193
2000–0124843-3013
2000–01Hull City (loan)Third Division50--50
2001–02Leyton Orient90--90
2001–02Grays Athletic (loan)Isthmian League 43--43
2002–03Leyton OrientThird Division1212011152
2002–03Dagenham & Redbridge (loan)Conference National 81--91
2003–04Lincoln CityLeague Two421620-4819
2004–05381010214511
2005–06Huddersfield TownLeague One431031235115
2006–07391110104111
2007–08BlackpoolChampionship4261030466
2008–09385-10395
2009–103261021388
2010–11Premier League22510235
2011–12Championship39830428
2012–133551010375
Career total 37785164136423105
Notes

a. All Football League Trophy results are included in totals
b. 2 Conference Trophy appearances included in 2000–01 totals
c. 2 Play-off appearances for Lincoln City in 2004 included in 2003–04 totals
d. 3 Play-off appearances for Lincoln City in 2005 included in 2004–05 totals
e. 2 Play-off appearances for Huddersfield Town in 2006 included in 2005–06 totals
f. 2 Play-off appearances for Blackpool in 2010 included in 2009–10 totals

Honours

Blackpool

References

  1. ↑ Hugman, Barry J. (2005). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005. Queen Anne Press. p. 604. ISBN 1-85291-665-6. 
  2. ↑ "Premier League Player Profile". Premier League. Retrieved 15 March 2011. 
  3. ↑ "Gary Taylor-Fletcher". Association of Football Statisticians. Retrieved 1 December 2009. 
  4. ↑ "All change for front man Fletch". Lincoln City F.C. Official Website. 2 July 2004. Retrieved 24 May 2010. 
  5. ↑ "Man Utd 4–2 Blackpool". Ghanamma.com. 22 May 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2011. 
  6. ↑ "Taylor-Fletcher wants better deal". Sky Sports. 12 September 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2013. 
  7. ↑ "Leicester City add to the ranks by signing Gary Taylor-Fletcher". Leicester Mercury. 21 September 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "players – Gary Taylor-Fletcher". Soccerbase. Retrieved 23 October 2008. 
  9. ↑ "Striker signs two-year deal". Lincoln City F.C. Official Website. 14 August 2003. Retrieved 24 May 2010. 
  10. ↑ "Fletch equals club record". Lincoln City F.C. Official Website. 28 August 2004. Retrieved 24 May 2010. 
  11. ↑ "Fletcher crowned Player of the Season". Lincoln City F.C. Official Website. 8 May 2004. Retrieved 24 May 2010. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Follow the Dream – Fletch proves that hard work and determination leads to success". Up The Pool (Blackpool: Blackpool F.C.). 2008–09 season (Blackpool vs Coventry City): 34–37. 27 September 2008. 
  13. ↑ "Huddersfield 3–0 Rotherham". bbc.co.uk. 8 August 2006. Retrieved 24 October 2008. 
  14. ↑ "results – Leicester 0 Blackpool 1". Soccerbase. 11 August 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2008. 
  15. ↑ "results – Wolves 2 Blackpool 1". Soccerbase. 25 August 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2008. 
  16. ↑ Live – Championship play-off final 22 May 2010, BBC Sport
  17. ↑ "Wigan 0 – 4 Blackpool". BBC Sport. 14 August 2010. Retrieved 15 August 2010. 
  18. ↑ "Hull 0 – 1 Blackpool". BBC Sport. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2011. 
  19. ↑ "Gary Taylor-Fletcher: Leicester City sign ex-Blackpool striker". BBC Sport. BBC. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013. 

External links

Lincoln City F.C. Player of the Year
Leicester City F.C. – current squad
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