Cray Wanderers have resigned a former keeper who is unlikely to get much game time between now and the end of the season – 100-year-old George Taylor!
London’s oldest football club fulfilled their local centurion’s dream to kick a football on a pitch again on Saturday when they signed him on registration forms ahead of their 3-1 home win over Merstham in the BetVictor Isthmian League‘s Premier Division.
As reported in The Non-League Paper on Sunday, Taylor attended Hayes Lane as the club’s ‘guest of honour’ following discussions between the club and a local church group. Sky Sports were even to report on the signing and broadcast amazing footage of the veteran showing he hadn’t lost his touch!
A promising goalkeeper, Taylor made his debut for Cray as an 18-year-old at the back end of the 1937-38 season against Northfleet – a game which ended in a 10-0 defeat!
Can he kick it? Yes he can ??
Our amazing new signing at Cray Wanderers, the wonderful George Taylor at 100 years young fulfilling a desire to kick a ball again for the Wands. Absolutely love it ???? pic.twitter.com/n81IbK6Yhe— Sam Wright (@wrighty1207) March 3, 2020
Taylor, though, was rated highly and was close to signing for Northfleet – a renowned feeder club for Tottenham Hotspur back in the day – only to break his leg just before World War II broke out and was to never play again.
After learning that their former says he is desperate to kick a football for Cray one more time, so club chiefs have arranged for him to walk out onto the Hayes Lane pitch with the players before Saturday’s game.
The club also presented him with a commemorative shirt with ‘Taylor 100′ on the back before he put pen-to-paper on his new contract.
Wands’ CEO Sam Wright told The NLP: “George is an inspiration and a lovely man too. This club is 160 years old this year – I don’t suppose there have been too many older players than George to have ever been signed on before.”
Make sure you get your copy of The Non-League Paper on Sunday for the latest news and action from across Non-League over the last seven days.
CWFC sign George Taylor at the age of 100! Click here to watch Sam Wright (@wrighty1207) talk more about Georges amazing story on Sky Sports! – https://t.co/N9RURqtG4S pic.twitter.com/ZQtWDZ8Rme
— Cray Wanderers FC (@OfficialWands) March 3, 2020
As well as exclusive match reports and pictures from all of Saturday’s fixtures in the Vanarama National League, the BetVictor-Sponsored Isthmian League, Southern League and Northern Premier League, The Non-League Paper’s live coverage extends all the way to Steps 5 and 6.
Images courtesy of @OfficialWands/Twitter
