Manchester City head coach Gareth Taylor has admitted that he is looking forward to returning to The City Ground on Saturday when his side face Nottingham Forest in a Vitality Women’s FA Cup fourth round tie.
In addition to playing for Manchester City during his career, Taylor also represented Nottingham Forest in a three-year spell which saw him make 114 appearances and score 25 goals for The Tricky Trees.
The magic of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup has handed Taylor the opportunity to return to his former club and he has admitted that sitting in the dugout at The City Ground will be a great moment for him personally.
“It’ll be a great moment for me,” Taylor said when speaking in his pre-match press conference. “I’ve been back on a few occasions since leaving Forest as a player and a couple of times to watch games as a supporter of the club.
“To go back as a coach will be a nice moment for me and something that I am really looking forward to.”
Taylor has experienced the magic of the FA Cup both as a player and as a coach and the competition holds a special place in his heart.
Looking back on his memories both as a player and with Manchester City, Taylor said “I was fortunate enough to play in a semi-final for Sheffield United a long, long time ago at Old Trafford and made a quarter-final with Burnley. The cup is special, I’ve played in games where you’ve been the underdog and where you’ve been the heavy favourite and I think it’s a special competition. Even though the riches of the Premier League have come along and it has taken a bit of a back seat, it is still nice to see that people really cherish the FA Cup, I cherished it as my first trophy and I’m really hungry for more.
“We got to the semi-finals of last year’s competition and we want to go as far as we possibly can again because there’s nothing better than getting your hands on the trophy.”
The Vitality Women’s FA Cup fourth round tie between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City kicks-off at 1pm on Saturday. Tickets remain available and can be purchased by clicking here.