Steve Taylor retires from playing – but he plans to remain very much part of football scene

Football all-rounder Steve Taylor insists his playing days are definitely over after he sustained two broken ribs in a match last weekend.

Steve, 46, has been a player-coach this season for new club Prestatyn Wanderers AFC, who compete in the Tier 5 North Wales Coast East League Division One.

Last Saturday he made his fifth appearance of the campaign for the first team, but had to leave the field late on in the game against Glan Conwy after suffering a bad injury.

He has now decided to retire as a player and will instead concentrate on coaching, as well as refereeing when he is available.

“Two broken ribs Saturday so I’m fully retiring now from playing and just going to coach,” said Steve.

“I’m gutted but I can’t carry on no more, just coaching and reffing for me now.”

After a long break from playing, Steve made a surprise comeback last season with Rhyl Dragons, the club he helped form three years ago and where he became player-manager.

And some of the old magic was still there, as he scored six goals during the 2022-23 campaign.

He left Dragons this year and started up Prestatyn Wanderers.

Steve started playing at the age of 16 for Rhyl Delta in the 1993-94 season. He later moved to Point of Ayr where he really made his mark, netting more than 100 goals, including 54 in one particularly successful season.

He also wore the colours of Rhuddlan Town and Glan Conwy, while between 2011-13 he managed Prestatyn Rovers, who won the NWCFA Intermediate Cup in 2012.

Tottenham Hotspur fan Steve is also a highly-regarded football referee, something which he enjoys and plans to continue.

Away from sport, he is a DJ and guitar-vocalist. His daughter, Niomi, plays for CPD Y Rhyl 1879 in the tier 2 Genero Adran North League.

She won the North Wales League title with the Rhyl invincibles of 2021-22.

While the boots have now been hung up for a final time from a playing point of view, Steve will still have enough involvement in football to keep himself busy in the months ahead.