Wellington Phoenix's captain Steven Taylor. Photo / Photosport
Wellington Phoenix's captain Steven Taylor. Photo / Photosport
"How does it feel to be the captain of the worst Wellington Phoenix side in their history?"
That was the question posed to skipper Steven Taylor by one journalist after his side slumped to a fourth straight loss to start the 2019/20 A-League campaign.
"For me to see him inthe tunnel after we played Victory (a 3-0 win in their last game) was a bit of satisfaction for me," says Taylor, now the leader of what many regard as the best squad to represent Wellington in the A-League.
When the season was called to a premature halt in late March, the Phoenix were third on the ladder and in line for their best regular season finish. The win over Victory was their fourth on the bounce and they'd lost just two of their last fifteen games.
But it's the manner of the wins which has also caught the eye.
"We are literally [sic] dismantling teams at home and away. We have no fear and we go into games believing we can win.
"We had some very good individual players that won us games last year, whereas (this season) the collective performances week in, week out and the standards that we've set mean the boys just keep going and believing."
Wellington Phoenix's captain Steven Taylor. Photo / Photosport
Football Federation Australia will make an announcement this month about when and if on-field action can resume, with CEO James Johnson expressing confidence the current season can be completed, and reports out of Australia suggesting players could be back in training on July 1, with the remainder of the season to commence on August 1.
Taylor believes it won't take long for the Phoenix squad to be match-ready.
"We've got very naturally fit players, so if you give the lads a hard three weeks, especially the way we train, we're going to be running on adrenaline from where we left off. They're still going to need some game time, so a few little practice games.
"The boys are frustrated because they want to finish the league and create a bit of history here. It's exciting hearing the fans say it's one of the best Phoenix sides we've had and it's the one time they believe we can actually win something.
