Neil Taylor aiming to change his own play-off record with Aston Villa

That is the total amount of time the full-back has spent on the pitch during two previous forays into the Championship’s promotion shootout.

Back in 2011, Taylor was sent off inside the opening two minutes of Swansea’s semi-final against Nottingham Forest and promptly suspended for the second leg and final as Brendan Rodgers led the Welsh club to the Premier League.

Then, 12 months ago, he again found himself watching from the stands at Wembley as Villa fell at the final hurdle, having been left out of the matchday squad.

“It is horrible to watch, so much worse than playing,” says Taylor. “You can’t help the team in any way. You are not fully concentrated or engaged in the game because you are not there on the pitch. You end up watching it like a fan. I would not want to be a fan every season doing that!”

With the Swans, Taylor was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Forest’s Lewis McGugan.

He could only watch on as his team eventually won the tie 3-1 on aggregate, before beating Reading 4-2 in the final.

“We were 3-0 up by half-time and it was brilliant, you are planning next season,” recalls Taylor. “Then they claw a couple back and I remember Garry Monk blocked one on the line and everything changed. We won 4-2 in the end and it is a great feeling.

“Obviously to miss out on the final was horrible but those are the ups and downs in your career.

“There have been plenty of ups I can talk about and plenty of downs. I take the rough with the smooth and try to stay on a level playing field. But if you get promoted through the play-offs, it is the best way.”

There is no disputing the fact Taylor’s own fortunes are currently very much on an upward curve and he seems certain to start Saturday’s first leg at Albion.

The 30-year-old, also left out of the 18 for both legs of last year’s semi-final against Middlesbrough, is arguably in his best form since joining Villa from Swansea in January 2017.

He played in every game of the club record-breaking 10-match winning run which saw Dean Smith’s men charge from mid-table to a fifth-placed finish.

A team player typically reluctant to talk about his own performances, Taylor is someone who – much like the team – suddenly exudes a new confidence.

“If you are playing in a team that is winning more often than not you have to count yourself lucky,” he said. “That doesn’t happen very often unless you are playing for a Man City or a Liverpool. We have to be happy with how we are playing as a squad.

“Everything here at the moment is about the squad. People coming in and doing brilliantly. I don’t enjoy talking about myself too much but I have been happy with how it has gone and hopefully the manager is happy and the staff. The main goal is nothing individual over the next three games. It is all about the team.”

Having struggled for consistency last season and found himself behind career right-back Alan Hutton in the pecking order, Taylor has steadily improved since Smith replaced Steve Bruce in the dugout last October. A current run of 12 consecutive starts is his longest for Villa.

“I have always been super-critical of myself, always,” said Taylor. “Even if someone tells me I have had a good game I will always remember something I didn’t do so well. That is just the way I have been through my whole career. Maybe that is why you get to where you are, that mindset, I don’t know?

“You get to points in football where winning is more of a relief than ecstasy because you know you have to do it again the next week and the next week.

“You have to get a mindset that is pretty level and just go with it. That is why I do find it tough to talk about myself.

“I am enjoying my football at the moment and that is the main thing. I feel extremely lucky to be at a club like this.

“The reason I came here is because I always dreamt about playing for a big club. You don’t think you are going to be able to do it in the Premier League unless you join Manchester United or Liverpool.

“But I am at one now, albeit in the Championship. Hopefully we can get it back to the Premier League.”

To do that, Villa must first overcome Albion and then either Derby or Leeds at Wembley. Form means they go in fancied by many neutral observers, yet Taylor’s own experiences should serve as a reminder how in the play-offs almost anything can and will happen.

“It will be great for the neutrals,” said Taylor. “There are four big clubs who all feel they should be in the Premier League.

“I know this club should be in the Premier League. For us to have another crack at it is credit to everyone because this isn’t an easy league. As much as people think you should walk it, it just doesn’t work like that.”