Icon, legend, master showman, Lyle Taylor is all of these things.

The darling of the Valley crowd, he plays the game with a smile on his face, and plays to the crowd on occasions. And he does enjoys banter with opposition fans too.

Nobody appears to enjoy their 90 minutes on the pitch more than Taylor.

So it will surprise many to learn that he is not in love with the game and has no desire to follow in Lee Bowyer’s footsteps. He is not alone in that of course, Danny Hollands and Paul Mortimer are two others who were not fond of the game, but neither were as extrovert as Taylor.

Football management is not on his agenda, though he has not ruled out being a specialist striker coach. And his persona could give him a career in the media when he decides it is time to hang up his boots.

Here is what Taylor told Valley Review:

“It became the case when I was released from Millwall when I was young. It was difficult to be released when you work so hard to get that first contract. Then it was even more difficult; the reasons that was given to you (I’d rather not say what the reasons work).

“At that point I hated football. But since then the person who released has told me how well I have done and commended me on how well I’ve done, so it is what it is. 

“I see football is my job. Do I enjoy playing and scoring goals? Yes. Do I like the rest of it? The politics and all the rest of it that happens in and around football clubs in football now? Not at all. 

“Do I see myself in football after my career? The only way I’d stay in  football is to become a specialist striker coach. 

“I wouldn’t want to be a manager or anything like that. It will be to pass on what I’ve learned about scoring goals and that would be it.

“I get out of bed in the morning just to score goals, nothing else. I don’t like the running, I don’t like the rest of football. I just want to score goals. And I suppose it is that kind of single focus that’s got me to where I am now.”