Sutton United Football Club are delighted to confirm the signing of Jake Taylor, who joins on a permanent transfer from fellow National League side Eastleigh.
The experienced midfielder can boast more than a decade of professional experience having turned out for a host of clubs within the EFL, including more than 300 appearances in League Two, and will offer bite, tenacity and years of wisdom to Chris Agutter’s youthful Sutton team.
The 33-year old began his career at the Madejski Stadium, joining the Royals at the age of eight and going on to spend ten years in their youth system. After scoring 20 goals for the Under-18’s in the 2009/10 campaign, he was rewarded with senior debut in a League Cup game against Northampton Town, and was followed by his league debut at the end of the same season.
He subsequently spent seven further years in Berkshire, being at the club during their promotion-winning campaign in 2011/12 and their resulting season in the Premier League, though he largely spent this period out on loan with stints at Aldershot Town, Exeter City, Cheltenham Town and Crawley Town.
He later enjoyed further loans away at Leyton Orient and Motherwell two years later, and brought a permanent end to his time at Reading when he opted to return to Exeter in 2016.
This led to a hugely successful spell in Devon, spending the next five years with the Grecians in which he appeared over 200 times, as well as captaining the club between 2018 and his departure in 2021, which saw him join fellow League Two club Stevenage.
A brief stint playing under Agutter during the Head Coach’s temporary charge of the Boro’s first team led to Taylor being a regular fixture in the heart of the team during his first season in Hertfordshire, as well as in their promotion-winning season in 2022/23, adding to his 43 appearances during the previous campaign, before being released upon their first year in League One in nearly ten years.
A move to Eastleigh followed for the midfielder, who opted to drop into non-league as his approached his twilight years, and he was named the Spitfires’ club captain following the retirement of Aaron Martin, a mark of the trust instilled in him from Head Coach Kelvin Davis after just a year in Hampshire, with Taylor going on to rack up almost 100 appearances for the club.
Internationally, Taylor has also represented Wales on a single occasion, making his debut when he replaced Hal Robson-Kanu in a European qualification victory against Cyprus in 2014.
Upon signing for Sutton, Taylor said:
“I’m really excited to sign for Sutton.
I’ve worked with the gaffer before at Stevenage, so I know what he’s about and what he expects. It’s also a move that feels right personally as I have family from the area, so it already feels a bit like home.”
Taylor will wear the number 25 during his time at Gander Green Lane.
Welcome to Sutton, Jake!
