'Was it the best I scored? Probably not': Spectacular goal collector Matt Taylor's surprise choice as all-time favourite Portsmouth strike

During five-and-a-half seasons on the south coast, he registered 29 times in 203 appearances, primarily from open play.

Many need no introduction, including at Sunderland in October 2005 and against Everton in December 2006.

However, for the ex-Pompey favourite, there’s one he puts ahead of them all – a leveller in a 1-1 draw at Leicester City in February 2003.

Taylor told The News: ‘Was Leicester the best goal I scored? Probably not, but it’s my favourite for Pompey.

‘I hadn’t trained all week because of a bone spur injury, including watching them train the day before. Nike even developed these boots for me to take a bit of pressure off my heel.

‘That was my build-up, which is probably why I loved that goal, while it also meant a lot being live on Monday night TV.

‘At Luton in Division Three (League Two), we’d had one game televised – a cup match. Now, for the first time at Pompey, I was playing in front of the cameras at a wonderful stadium in a top-of-the-table clash.

‘So to score our equaliser – with my right foot – was phenomenal.

‘When I look back on it, would I have done that aged 30? No, because I would have worried about the consequences of missing. But confidence does strange things, it makes you feel as if there’s nothing you can’t do.

‘I struck it right-footed from outside the box, the keeper got nowhere near it and was probably as amazed as me when it went in off the inside of the far post!

‘There was another one that season at Nottingham Forest (December 2002). I had never shot like that before in my life, it just flew in.

‘I scored some really good ones in the Premier League, so I don’t know why that Leicester one stands out ahead of them all. It just does.’

Taylor’s most prolific Pompey season was in 2006-07, when he netted nine goals in 39 appearances.

They included a 35-yard left-footed volley against Everton (December 2006) at Fratton Park.

He added: ‘The strange thing with the Everton one was, if you look at my control before, Sol Campbell passed me the ball and it went under my foot.

‘Thankfully Kanu managed to get there and it just popped up nicely – and I managed to smash it in. Then I ran to the bench to celebrate with my mate Richard Hughes.

‘Another was at Sunderland, but the only reason I shot was because Dario Silva was off injured and we didn’t have another centre-forward on.

‘Gregory Vignal flicked the ball around the corner, I looked up and assessed what I could do with it and, with nothing in front of me, I shot.

‘Kelvin Davis was in goal, ironically the first-team goalkeeper at Luton during my first season there. Had it not been him, I might not have had a go!’

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