Peter Taylor has stated he is back at Gillingham with the aim of taking on the manager’s role on a permanent basis.

The former England Under 21 manager was unveiled at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, just 24 hours after agreeing to return to the club some thirteen years after his first spell in charge.

Having taken the players for training in the morning and then watching a strong Development XI beat their AFC Wimbledon counterparts 3-1, Taylor told the media how he was glad to be back at Priestfield:

“I’m very, very pleased to be back. If I didn’t want the job permanently I wouldn’t be here. I can’t believe it’s been 13 years since I was last here. I’ve got great memories of this club.”

“I have spoken to all of the players today and it is a fresh start for everyone. I want a team that will work hard for the cause. Mark Patterson tells me they are like my old squad and that came across today.”

“There will be players who didn’t play under Martin who will have a point to prove and it’s up to them to prove to the new coach that they should be in the team.”

Flanked by both John Schofield and Carl Muggleton for the press conference, Taylor wants to hit the ground running and is hoping that his stay at the club is a long one:

“I have assured everyone there are going to be no changes whatsoever. I am an interim manager and so I am here for the short-term and if these chaps help me get some results then I will be here for long-term.”

“Sometimes it is very difficult because staff don’t know where they stand but I think we have cleared all that up and I am looking forward to the work.”

“Sometimes it is nice to work with different people because we can bounce off different things and there won’t be a coach in the world who does it absolutely right.”

Taylor went on to explain how he will assess the squad over the next few days and then see if he needs to bring players in on loan, or recall Gills players that are currently out on loan with other clubs.