WITH more than 300 Premier League appearances and six previous clubs on his CV, Matt Taylor has not been short of wise heads to call upon as he prepares to lead Swindon Town for the first time this weekend.

Taylor begins his stint as Town’s interim manager at home to Yeovil Town on Saturday, having been handed the reins of the club’s promotion push in League Two on a temporary basis in the wake of David Flitcroft’s shock departure to Mansfield Town.

Having sought the advice of those who helped his own career flourish, Taylor – who played for Portsmouth, Bolton, West Ham and Burnley in the top flight – is relishing the challenge ahead of him.

“I planned a lot on Wednesday night and spent hours on the phone,” said Taylor.

“I spoke to quite a few people who I respect very highly within football and who are current managers, to ask their advice because I think it is always good to get some input from outside the workplace.

“A manager I am very close to who is honest and extremely successful just said: ‘Go and be you, with the manner in which you address people and just be 100 per cent honest with everybody you speak to’.

“I will be up front with everybody and deal in facts and nothing else.

“We had a good meeting with the players and I explained exactly what I want from them and how we can move forward into Saturday.”

Taylor had already started working on his coaching badges before his appointment to the Town hotseat but the 36-year-old says the current situation is a chance for the entire Swindon squad to make the headlines rather than just himself.

“It is a route that I have planned for the last seven or eight years to have a foray into, but it is not something I thought would happen as quickly as it has done,” said Taylor.

“However, things in life change very quickly and at the moment I have been asked to help the football club, which I am thoroughly enjoying my time at.

“It is an opportunity for me to gain some experience but it is not about me. It is not about Matt Taylor and what he can do, it is about ‘Can we galvanise this team into pushing for promotion for as long as I am asked to do so?’ I believe we can do.”

Taylor is set to be without club captain Olly Lancashire for the visit of the Glovers following the calf injury suffered by the central defender last weekend at Chesterfield.

On-loan midfielder Timi Elsnik is also a doubt having missed the trip to the Proact Stadium altogether.

“Olly unfortunately has a worse injury to his calf than we’d hoped so we have been liaising with the medical staff about that,” said Taylor.

“Timi will be touch-and-go. We are not sure whether he will be fit but the medical staff are working as hard as they can to make sure he is fit because when Timi is fit, he has shown on numerous occasions that he is vitally important to us.

“We are not going to risk any player unnecessarily because even after Saturday, there are still 10 massive games to go.”