Brackley Town’s recruitment boss identifies the two player types on Saints’ radar ## What are the key player types Brackley Town is looking for?
The Saints have completely transformed their leadership structure, with manager Andy Whing working alongside right-hand man Taylor and Brackley’s recently-retired former captain Gareth Dean to recruit a fresh squad. As central defender Kyle Morrison and versatile forward Matt Lowe are the only two of last season’s crop to have been retained so far, the recruitment gig is a huge job with massive responsibility. But Taylor, in this business for 15 years now, isn’t fazed by the pressure and he’s confident Brackley will be in a competitive spot ahead of next term’s return to the National League North.
“It’s about bringing in a structure to the recruitment process in terms of players, off-the-field character references, making sure we identify the right personnel,” Taylor explained during the latest ‘Inside Brackley’ episode. “Not just that, but being there to make everyone’s life at the football club easier, being there for Jan (Butters, CEO) and Matt (Wise, chairman) on a board level. “It’s adding that extra level of professionalism to the club, it will definitely benefit.”
That all sounds good on the surface, then, but what does Taylor’s day-to-day job look like? And what types of players are the Saints looking for? “At the moment, I’m bringing in databases of players but also doing data work and video analysis,” Taylor clarified. “It’s highlighting players we maybe weren’t looking at before. It’s manipulating reports, manipulating shortlists so we get the right targets for Andy to hit the button when we want to go. “Any time I’ve worked with Andy, it’s all been about hard work. I think the fans will relate to the players, likewise the players will communicate with the fans. “We want a team of hardworking grafters, experienced players who are winners but also younger players who want to progress their career, that are ambitious. “If they help us and help themselves to go onto higher levels, then so be it, it benefits everyone and it’s what we’re looking for.”
There have been slight concerns raised by supporters over how long it has taken to renew the squad, but it’s not an overnight job. Taylor knows all too well that landing top targets often requires patience and intense negotiations. When asked what the main challenge he faces is, Taylor responded: “Players wanting too much money! Agents… “I’m dealing with all of that to take the pressure off everyone else. That’s what I’m used to. “It’s not a problem, I like to play the game with them as much as they like to with us. We don’t want to go overboard on players. “We will try our best to find undervalued players. Ultimately, if we have to go to what we’ve got to go to in order to get the players we want, we will. “But it has to be within the budgets, that’s the main thing for me.”
As revealed by Gaz Dean a fortnight ago, mid-June is when Brackley’s transfer business will really ramp up. Watch this space.
Next fixture: vs Oxford City (at home, 2026-12-26).
