COLCHESTER United have bolstered their attacking options with the signing of experienced striker Lyle Taylor.

The U's have snapped up the 34-year-old on a one-year deal, with a view to him not only playing for the team but also helping their talented young strikers like Samson Tovide and Bradley Ihionvien.

Taylor was previously with the Cowley brothers at non-league side Concord Rangers some 15 years ago, Danny was in joint charge of the Beach Boys and Nicky was their captain.

The Montserrat international was released by League One side Cambridge United at the end of last season, after signing for them on a short-term deal, in January.

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Taylor told cu-fc.com: "They, Danny and Nicky, have said ‘we don’t want you to come in just for you, we want you to come in for what you know and what you can pass onto the younger players.

“They said ‘there’s especially two young centre forwards at the club who have got a really good chance and they said what you have learnt and how you’ve built yourself from non-league, we can give these boys a better chance than they’ve already got’.”

Taylor has made nearly 500 league and cup appearances during his long professional career.

He started his career at Millwall and had a loan spell at Eastbourne and then played at Concord, where he scored 34 goals before joining Bournemouth in 2010.

 

Taylor was at Dean Court for two years under Eddie Howe before joining Falkirk Athletic in 2012.

He had a prolific season at the Scottish club, scoring 24 times in 34 league games before being snapped up by Sheffield United for a reported fee of £220,000 in the summer of 2013.

Taylor had a loan spell at Partick before leaving the Blades on a permanent basis to join Scunthorpe United, in 2014.

He stayed with the Iron for a season but left to sign for AFC Wimbledon in 2015, where he made nearly 150 appearances over a three-year period, scoring more than 50 goals.

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Taylor moved onto Charlton Athletic in 2018 where he netted 32 times in 58 league starts, over a two-year period.

He joined Nottingham Forest in 2020 and has also had spells at Birmingham City, Wycombe Wanderers and his last club, Cambridge United.

Taylor made 14 appearances for the U's in League One in the second half of last season, scoring three times but is now undertaking a new challenge, at Colchester.