KARL Robinson hopes Matty Taylor remains at Oxford United for years to come as the striker closes in on another milestone.

Tomorrow’s trip to Sheffield Wednesday could see the 31-year-old play his 100th game for the club since he returned, initially on loan, in 2019.

Taylor, from Kidlington, made just 11 substitute appearances as a teenager during his first spell from 2007 to 2009.

But his return has proved far more fruitful, finding the net 39 times and topping the goalscoring charts in his two full seasons.

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The No 9 had to take a pay cut after turning his loan move from Bristol City into a three-year deal last summer, which Robinson has not forgotten.

“We have a wonderful relationship,” United’s head coach said.

“He knows how thankful I am when he could have turned us down and gone somewhere else for more money.

“He chose to come to the club that he hopefully wanted to see his career out with.

“We always knew the older he got, the back end of his contract was always going to be a question.

“It’s a position we always try to improve, but you’d like to think Matty would see his days out here.

“You’d like to think there’d be other things around the football club for Matty Taylor in the long run.

“I don’t think we tap into it enough.

“I think the next step of our engagement with the community is legends of this football club coming back to the training ground and being welcomed by the players.

“Having the likes of Rosie (Peter Rhoades-Brown) working in the commercial team is so important to us.”

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Taylor worked his way up the football pyramid after leaving United, beginning at Didcot Town and North Leigh before eventually playing in the Sky Bet Championship with Bristol City.

He scored 17 times on loan from the Robins in 2019/20 and added another 19 last season, having signed permanently in between.

Two goals in United’s last two games have taken Taylor’s tally to three for the campaign and Robinson was full of praise.

He said: “Especially at his age, to still be as buoyant in the way he plays.

“There have been drop-offs in his performance, I think he’d openly admit that.

“But when he’s got the bit between his teeth I don’t think there’s many better than him.

“He’s a little bit of a throwback in the way he plays.

“He should be proud of what he’s achieved – not only what he’s done here, but to fall out the league and then get back to his home-town club.

“There’s a lot more goals to come from Matty.”

Taylor shared his manager’s sentiments, adding: “It’s a really proud moment for me.

“100 is no mean feat, and hopefully it leads to another few hundred more.

“I’d love to end my career here and hopefully there’s a lot more goals to come.”