THE Bespoke Guardians Swindon Wildcats have re-signed forward Floyd Taylor in what will be his ninth consecutive season for the club.

The Melanie and Nigel Beckett-sponsored skater grew up in Swindon and began life as a full-time Wildcat back in the 2012-13 campaign as a 17-year-old. In his debut season, Taylor scored three points while icing in over 40 games.

Before the Covid pandemic, Taylor, who only turned 26 this year, put up 15 points in 50 games in the NIHL National campaign.

But during the affected 20-21 season, his game time in the NIHL Spring Cup was limited after sustaining an injury after just four games.

Speaking to Wildcats club media, Taylor admitted he’s counting down the days until he can get back on the ice at the Link Centre.

He said: “I can’t wait to get back on the ice. With Covid, it feels like a long time since I’ve stepped foot on the ice properly.

“It was very frustrating to have got injured in the Spring Cup. I was enjoying playing and after being away for so long it was hard to just watch from the sidelines again, but these things happen and there was nothing I could do.

“Hopefully we can have some fans back in the rink as they definitely make the atmosphere better and the Wildcats fans are awesome, it wasn’t the same without them.

“I’m really hoping my ninth year can be more of a normal season. The rink is my second home for sure and I can’t wait to see the fans again.”

Meanwhile, head coach Aaron Nell was thrilled to have secured Taylor’s signature for another year as his ever-growing squad continues to be revealed.

Nell said: “Floyd is a massive player for us. He’s a real energy player and the way he plays the game feeds momentum through the other guys on the team.

“He is one of the most committed and hardworking players on the team and we all love his attitude around the club.

“He gets better every year and he’s the kind of player I know that opponents don’t like to play against which is vital to us.

“He might not be the highest scoring forward we have but you can almost guarantee when Floydy scores for us, it’ll be a massive goal.”