Maik Taylor knows that his reign as Northern Ireland's new first-choice goalkeeper could be a brief one if he makes any mistakes against the Czech Republic tomorrow. Taylor got the nod for Saturday's match against Bulgaria after Roy Carroll had made one error too many for manager Sammy McIlroy.
Taylor is delighted to be wearing the number one jersey again after watching five of Northern Ireland's previous six games from the substitutes' bench. However, the Fulham stopper realises that the hard work is just beginning and that one slip could cost him his place. "I was really pleased to play on Saturday and that shows that Sammy is going to be fair with his selection," he said.
"Hopefully I can do well enough to keep the jersey. It's up to me now to hold down the position and I know if I make mistakes then the manager will have no hesitation in putting Roy back in.
"But I believe there's no point a player thinking he's guaranteed a starting place anyway. I believe that unless the competition is really strong, you can slip into easy mode. It's good to have competition and hopefully that will bring out the best in us," he said.
Taylor's delight at winning his first cap since February was tempered by Northern Ireland's 1-0 defeat. The Fulham keeper was one of the better Irish players, making a couple of great saves to deny the Bulgarians. That was of little consolation to him and he said: "To be honest, irrespective of how you have played, if you get beat then you know there's room for improvement."
This was Northern Ireland's fifth successive defeat and their fourth in a row in their World Cup qualifying campaign. They remain fifth in Group Three with four points and have scored in just one of their last five matches. This poor form looks pretty ominous, ahead of Wednesday's match away to the Czech Republic, who lost 2-1 to Denmark on Saturday. As if this was not bad enough, the North are without ten players through injury and suspension.
Taylor, though, refuses to be downcast and he is adamant Northern Ireland are a better team than the statistics suggest. "The lads don't feel we have performed too badly," he said. "It's just a case of keep believing. We have got to keep digging in and I believe things will turn for us.
"If you look at the statistics, we certainly created more chances than Bulgaria, but it just wasn't to be. Out of all the games there have only been one or two where we have deserved to be beaten and we deserved something from the rest of them.
"It can't keep going on like that and I believe over time that things will change for us. The Czech Republic will be a massive test for us and even with a full-strength squad we would be up against it. But these are the sort of big games you relish as a player and they don't come much bigger than this," he said.
Filed by Greg McKevitt
