Bangor goalkeeper ranks promotion to the Championship as one of the most special moments of his career

The 38-year-old joined the Clandeboye Park outfit last summer following six years in the Premiership with Glenavon and has helped Lee Feeney’s side achieve a league and cup double, following their Steel and Sons success up by securing the Premier Intermediate League title on Saturday.

Taylor has played a key role in setting the foundations by keeping 14 clean sheets in 24 matches while conceding only 10 league goals throughout the campaign.

"This would be right up there,” he said. “The first season I joined Glentoran we won the league but I wasn't playing and don't think I played enough games to get a medal but the celebrations were good!

"When you're playing week in, week out and with this group - it's up there. It's a double as well with also winning the Steel and Sons Cup so to do both in one season is some feat for the boys.

"Staying injury free was a big thing for me because I did have a few niggles here and there but to go through a season staying injury free with the amount of games we played was good.

"I'm over the moon with my stats. Neil (Gillespie) the goalkeeper coach is constantly there giving feedback, doing reports on games and does a lot of analysis on where my strengths and weaknesses are and we work on them at training. That has certainly helped me, kept me focused and I'm delighted."

This is the latest step forward for Bangor, who narrowly missed out on promotion last season in a play-off against Knockbreda.

They spent two seasons out of the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) system following relegation to the Ballymena & Provincial Intermediate League in 2016/17 before booking their spot back in the third-tier two years later.

Under the guidance of Feeney, they are an ambitious club and Taylor says that hunger for success was a massive factor behind his decision to join.

"They had set out a plan of how they wanted to move up through the leagues and that was one of the things that made me come to the club,” he added. “The club have ambition, desire and drive and don't want to be staying put - they want to keep moving forward.

"Even around the club there's talk of a new stand and other things happening. We have the facilities now that we can have more and more teams at the club and that can only strengthen, make the club bigger and get more support."

Championship football awaits next season and Taylor is confident Bangor are capable of holding their own in the league above.

"We probably need to strengthen a bit more but we have done really well in the league this season and even in the (Irish Cup) game against Crusaders,” he said. “They are a step up again and we did hold our own so we can put it up against them.

"Hopefully I'm there and we do the job again. There are some big games and I can't wait."