Peterborough United star is aiming for a call-up to the full Ireland squad

Taylor’s place in the Ireland Under 21 squad for a crunch European Championship qualifier in Italy on October 13 was confirmed today (October 2).

He will now miss the League One derby match at Northampton Town on October 10, but will take his place in the Posh side to tackle Swindon Town at the Weston Homes Stadium tomorrow (3pm).

Posh manager Darren Ferguson believes Taylor (22) is ready for the senior Irish squad now, but the player is content to bide his time.

“By the time I’m 24 I’d love to have made the full Ireland squad,” Taylor, who qualifies for Ireland through his grandparents, said. “But this is my last year with the under 21s and I’d love to be part of the first Irish team to make the European Championship Finals.

“I love going away with the Ireland lads. It’s good to learn different ways of playing. It’s been a great experience.

“It’s disappointing to be missing a League One match though.

“I was a bit off the pace when the season started, but I’m happy with the last couple of performances, although I want to start arriving in the penalty area more so I can prove I can score goals at this level.

“We played much better as a team at Sunderland last weekend, but we were just unfortunate to concede a penalty.

“Scoring goals will just happen for this team and defensively we look strong.

“We have to keep our standards high and generate our own atmosphere at games, as we did when we beat Fleetwood.”

Taylor scored his first goal of the season in the 2-1 win over Fleetwood. He conceded the controversial penalty at Sunderland last weekend.