Super Bob insists he has no regrets

Bob Taylor will head to Wembley on Saturday insisting an Albion triumph will more than make up for his own FA Cup near-miss.

The former goalscoring hero turned down his own semi-final chance with just days to go to return for a second spell at The Hawthorns.

And while he admits he still wonders what might have been, he insists he has no regrets.

“As a kid I always wanted to be that player who scored the winning goal in the FA Cup final,” said Taylor. “It was a dream.

“I managed to get to the semi-final with Bolton against Aston Villa but I declined the offer of playing and came back to Albion that week for a second spell. I missed the chance to play so if I can’t play in a semi-final I want to be there to watch the team that I love.”

Taylor returned to Albion in 2000, leaving a Bolton side preparing for their own bid to make a Cup final. But he reckons, while he could have made a difference for the Trotters, his decision to head back to the Midlands was vindicated.

“It was a decision between playing in the semi-finals for Bolton and getting to the finals of the FA Cup or getting a three and a half-year contract at Albion with a testimonial,” he said.

“Look what happened when I came back. We got promotion to the Premier League so I have no regrets whatsoever.

“I got to a semi-final and had the chance to get to a final and I missed it but just going there to watch Albion as a supporter is fantastic for me as a former player.

“Dean Holdsworth played instead of me and he missed a sitter from 15 yards so it might have been me either putting it over the bar or in the back of the net but I have no regrets whatsoever.

“I stayed at Albion because I loved the place and loved the fans.

“The fans were brilliant and I don’t think in modern football you get too many players lasting for 10 years. The fans supported me all along. Even when I left I used to get coach loads supporting me when I played for Bolton or Cheltenham and I regard myself as an adopted Black Country lad now.”

Taylor is impressed with the progress Albion have made under Tony Mowbray, but he is warning they cannot afford any of their set-piece jitters on Saturday. “I think Tony has done a fantastic job, as everybody has,” said Taylor.

“But I have played against Tony and Mark Venus as centre-halves and everybody is rightly saying we should be tighter at the back.

“We are conceding goals and we have to score four if someone scores three against us. We keep being caught with sucker punches on the break and in most games we do concede against set-pieces. Portsmouth are a big, strong side and they will be threatening from set-pieces.

“But we do play some fantastic football and I think on our day Albion are great to watch. I think people would rather see that than get a scabby 1-0 win, but towards the end of the season now I would take a few scabby 1-0 wins.”

And he still believes promotion to the Premier League would trump any FA Cup success.

“The league is the bread and butter and we want to be in that top flight now because it is getting away from the Championship,” he said.

“It would be nice to win the FA Cup but it’s a one-off day whereas promotion is something you battle for for nine or 10 months of the year. Promotion to the Premier League is the pinnacle.”