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Karl
Senior Member
USA
914 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 20 2004 : 06:52:22 AM
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Nicholas McCreath
Saturday, March 20, 2004
Taylor(right) celebrates with team mates (from left) William Richards, Robert Scarlett and Jomo Gordon, after a Harbour View goal
When magnificent God-given talent is merged with strong discipline and an attitude of determination, the end result, in this case, is a top-class athlete in the form of Fabian Taylor.
In the short time that Fabian has graced the National Premier League with his abilities, he has managed to create a persona as the most feared striker in the tournament.
His amazing scoring touch is yet to be fathomed by opposing teams and he walks away from this season as the leading scorer and the most accomplished player so far.
If asked what makes Fabian different from other forwards in the country, my quick response would be that he combines prolific scoring with a touch of finesse. He is a cross between an Alan Shearer and a Dennis Bergkamp.
Watching him play, one may be fooled into thinking that being in the right place at the right time and finishing off a play in silky-smooth fashion is merely a walk in the park. These are the characteristics of a great striker, and Fabian is one.
It is easy to look at people's successes and to think that it was an easy road. However, the sweat of endurance, the sorrow of disappointment and, most importantly, the strength to go on when even your best efforts don't seem to be good enough, are the things that drive us to be a cut above the rest.
Fabian is currently the only local forward who has remained in the national team regardless of the number of arriving overseas professionals. Undaunted by playing only insignificant minutes in big games on occasions, he used those minutes as if they were all that mattered and performed at the same level as anyone else out there.
Fabian has distinguished himself on the big occasions, scoring up to three goals at a time in the most important of games. To turn back the hands of time, it was a Fabian Taylor double strike that made the difference in the only game in which Harbour View defeated arch rivals Arnett Gardens 3-1 to advance to the Federation Cup final and become the eventual winners of the Cup last season.
And if that seemed like merely a stroke of luck, he repeated the feat this year in more splendid fashion by single-handedly masterminding the destruction of Arnett with a 3-2 come-from-behind win for his club with a hat-trick.
What is most amazing about Fabian is not his knack for goal-scoring nor his excellent touch on the ball, but his passion for the game and his competitive attitude. Put simply, he just hates losing.
Many people are of the opinion that football contracts are a one in a million for athletes. However, I still insist that for some people, like Ricardo Gardner, Ricardo Fuller, Andy Williams, Damani Ralph and Fabian Taylor, the odds are not that far-fetched.
In fact, the truth is, when God chooses to bless you with much, some accomplishments are merely only a matter of time. Fabian has proven to everyone that he knows what it takes to make it to the next level and that he is poised to truly realise his amazing potential.
I only hope that I, along with my team-mates, will be privileged to witness the level of greatness that I strongly believe he can reach, and be inspired by it.
I have no doubt that he will do even better than he has previously done and continue to make Harbour View and Jamaica proud. His new club, New York/New Jersey MetroStars, too, will find the value we found in him.
His new colours may be red and black, but we at Harbour View will always see him in that gold and blue number 19 jersey, scoring goal after goal. Fabian's success is what will keep our dreams alive.
Nicholas McCreath is a team-mate of Taylor at Harbour View. |
Karl |
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