COLCHESTER United striker Lyle Taylor is closing in on a very special career milestone.

And U's boss Danny Cowley says he is proud of what the experienced forward has achieved in the professional game.

Taylor is one away from scoring his 100th Football League goal, having netting his first in Colchester colours in last weekend's 3-3 draw at Morecambe.

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The 34-year-old has hit the net for the likes of Nottingham Forest, Charlton Athletic and Cambridge United in the Football League since scoring his first league goal for Bournemouth, back in August, 2010.

Taylor had made the step up to the Cherries on the back of a prolific spell under the Cowleys at non-league Concord Rangers and U's boss Danny is not surprised the evergreen striker has had the career he has, so far.

Cowley said: "We're really proud of what he's gone on to achieve.

"I knew literally from the first time I saw him that he was going to be a professional footballer.

"The way he moves is so graceful and technically, he's so competent.

(Image: MATT WILKINSON)

"He's such a clever player and you see him on the training pitch with his touch and his link up play and how quickly he processes and of course, his finishing off both feet, which is so clean.

"He's really good with the young ones as well - he's been a good influence around the place."

Taylor could achieve his special individual landmark tomorrow when Colchester host Tranmere Rovers, at the JobServe Community Stadium.

Cowley believes the former AFC Wimbledon favourite has evolved his game, as his career has progressed.

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"He was very different to what he is now," added Cowley.

"Now he's really learnt as he's got older to use his body and he's really good at protecting the ball, linking and bringing other people into the game.

"When he was young, he used to play centre-forward but he used to spend a lot of his time on the left wing and the amount of times I saw him get it, create separation, take it on the back foot, speed it up, duck inside on his right foot and bend one in.

"He did that 36, 37 times for us, in that first season at Concord Rangers and was well deserving of his move to Bournemouth.

(Image: MATT WILKINSON)

"What I'm proud about with Lyle is that he didn't have it all his own way - it didn't just happen that he went from success to success.

"He actually told his story a couple of weeks ago and it was a good listen for the young players, because of the amount of challenges that he's faced and how many obstacles that have been in his way.

"He's had change of managers, changes of system, having to go to Scotland twice to almost find himself and second time to almost reinvent himself and then come back here and do so well at Wimbledon and be such a big part of their success into League One, then onto Charlton and Nottingham Forest.

"It's been a really good career and I'm a football romantic - the fact that he started and will maybe finish his career with us I think is pretty poetic really.

"It'll be nice to see him get that 100th goal pretty soon."