Colin Taylor

I remember that Bury game. If my memory is holding up our three goals came in about 9 minutes, and the Buckley one was great, back to goal on the edge of the box and sort of “hooked” the ball and it tore past the keeper at the Street End.
Nice memories.

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[shady53]

Mine too David.
Whenever he got the ball the excitement and anticipation that went around the ground was incredible

Shady, Colin Taylor was the lure that made me a life-long fan of this club. Rarely did I go to a match that he wasn’t playing in. It devastated me when we sold him to Newcastle, but all was forgiven when he came back for a second spell.
Great memories of a great player!

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My first was the mid-week game immediately before that against Grimsby (2-0 to the Saddlers) - but I too was immediately hooked.

Maybe we should have a Mount Rushmore style memorial built into the wall of the ground featuring our four favourite legends :smiley:

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Think most fans would go along with that.

And of course David he left us again for Crystal Palace a few years later only to return again for a third spell. No moans then about him leaving then, just excitement that “Cannonball” was coming back.
Used to love watching him on the left with George Meek on the right and would walk around FP so i could see them both up close.
Memories . . . .

I was so crushed when he went to Newcastle Shady, I didn’t think he was ever coming back.
It was a great move for Colin, but not for us obviously. I was so glad he returned “home” after a year away.
In all my years of watching the Saddlers, I’ve never seen a player like him. Not a big guy, but built like a brick outhouse, I’ve yet to see anyone match his strength, power and pace.
The club need to do the right thing by naming a stand after him or erecting something in his honour.

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Ah Bury…remember clinching Promotion there(Shrews had to win their last game about 16 nil to overtake us!) and helping mob Chris Nicholl on the pitch afterwards.
Abiding memory of that game,which finished 0-0, was Charlie Palmer’s blinder at Centre Half, after being useless all season! Happy Days!!!

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I remember it being said the only training he ever done was weight training and the best way to describe his legs was something akin to holding a Snooker table up.
He was also a lot more than having a cannonball shot as is goal record with higher division Newcastle and Palace testifies.
Newcastle : App 33 Goals 7
Palace : App 34 Goals 8
They drool over players nowadays if they return these striker averages.

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No one since can hold a candle to Cannonball on that left wing.

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Albert McPherson’s testimonial penalty railway end up steps Colin, bang over the railway and still orbiting the world, take it again encroachment next one off down the Broadway, take it again goalie moved third time back of the net goalie running for his life cheers go up good ol’ Cannonball.

I was at the Albert McPherson testimonial way back in the day. I think the first pen cleared the railway lines and a good job no train was going past at the time as the ball would have de-railed it. Whished we had Colin in this or for that matter any WFC team ever.

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It was an absolute privilege to see him play. We had some good “hard as nails” players in the 60’s and 70’s, not like some of the “powder puffs” playing these days.
It was a totally different game 40-50 years ago than it is now. It’s a faster game, the players are a lot fitter today due to the focus being on diet, nutrition, weights, etc. The days of smoking half a pack of cigarettes at half time are long gone as are the booze ups on a Friday night.
Good old days!

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I was only a kid when he returned the 3rd time but I remember my dad getting exited about going to see his first game back, telling me tales of previous games., and my dad didn’t get excited at very much so I knew he must be someone special. He was our own Roy of the Rovers.

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He certainly was,as was Buckley…that’s what we need now,someone to get us excited about going to the match…At a club like Walsall,it happens once in a generation,I reckon we’re due one now.

Maybe they’re already here - Rory of the Saddlers anyone?

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Brilliant memories of that. Probably my no 1 thing re our Club.

I thought it was Chesterfield that were the only team that could catch us then with a very young Kevin Davis in the side

@Switlgc From your first game v. Bury - The aerial power of George Andrews climbing highest to head home…

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