Wands hero Joe reaping his reward

SCOOPING the Buildbase Isthmian Premier Player of the Year honor has given Joe Taylor a boost after a frustrating end to the season.

- John Lyons

His Cray Wanderers team were second in the table and in the thick of the promotion battle before the coronavirus pandemic threw a spanner in the works.

And on a personal level, he was the top scorer in the division with 26 goals to his name.

Yet a thrilling end to the season was replaced by a shutdown in March and, shortly after, the season from Step 3 to 7 was declared null and void.

“It was frustrating how things finished,” the 29-year old told The NLP.

“We were on a really good run, we had just beaten the leaders (Worthing) and we fancied ourselves.

“All the boys were playing brilliantly. They were making changes for me and I was sticking them away.”

On a personal level, Taylor, who joined from Margate in late 2018, couldn’t have asked for much more.

He said: “I’d scored 32 goals in 38 appearances (in all competitions) and I thought I was going to surpass my best total for a season (36).