• Premier League

Toon Taylor's sweet Villa revenge

ESPN staff
January 31, 2013
Steven Taylor is back from a two-month injury lay-off © Getty Images
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Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor felt that the club gained revenge over Aston Villa fans after beating them on Tuesday night.

The 2-1 win at Villa Park gave Alan Pardew's side valuable space between them and the relegation zone, while also leaving Paul Lambert's team in the bottom three.

It was a stark contrast from a match at the same venue four years ago for Taylor, when a defeat to Villa on the final day of the season condemned Newcastle to relegation.

The 27-year-old was one of the Magpies players who was jeered by the home crowd that day on what he describes as "the worst feeling I have ever had as a footballer". Taylor, who made his comeback on Tuesday after two months out injured, admitted that he felt a sense of justice after winning in front of the same crowd.

"I will never forget that day. I was devastated," he said. "Of course there's an element of revenge. It wasn't nice when we came down here four years ago and on the night before the game we had fans outside the hotel shouting at us, 'You're going to go down'.

"I remember going there on the morning of the game and having the Villa fans singing songs. It wasn't a nice place to be. We only had one or two shots in the whole game. And then we were relegated. That's the worst feeling I have ever had as a footballer.

"It was nice to get that win back. But that was then and this is now. We're moving on. We have got some fantastic players and we are fortunate to have these signings. You can't get a better buzz."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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