🧤 The Penalty Curse Strikes Again — Declan Taylor Backs Himself Every Time

Declan Taylor featured on Footy Focus last season, when we discovered a goalkeeper with no shortage of confidence between the posts.

Eight months later, Vale have moved up a division, most of that squad remains together and Declan is still their goalkeeper.

And apparently Frank Sideline is still bringing him penalties.

With Vale leading Milngavie 2–0 during the second half, Frank was standing behind Declan’s goal when a penalty was awarded to the home side.

Before preparing to face it, the goalkeeper turned towards the sideline with a smile.

Every time Frank watches him, he seems to end up facing a penalty.

It was too good an observation not to revisit afterwards.

Declan admitted:

“Yeah, it’s a curse I’d rather not have if I’m honest 😅.”

He wasn’t convinced by the decision itself.

“Initially I felt the penalty was very soft as the player fouled had went down multiple times in the same manner throughout the game and wasn’t awarded a free kick.”

But once the referee had pointed to the spot, Declan knew there was little point dwelling on the decision.

His focus immediately switched to trying to stop it.

“I knew the referee wasn’t going to change his mind so I just got to my routine for facing penalties.”

And this is where the goalkeeper mentality really comes through.

Declan continued:

“In my mind if I don’t think I’m going to save it I may as well stand aside and let the opposition score.

“I simply go through the routine. Make my decision and stick to it.”

This time the penalty beat him and brought Milngavie back to 2–1.

A game Vale could have made easier

The penalty helped produce an entertaining finish.

Milngavie deserve plenty of credit for their response. A young side that had been 2–0 behind refused to let the game drift away and fought together to give themselves an opportunity of taking something from it.

From Declan’s position at the other end, however, there was also some frustration that Vale had allowed the contest to become so tight.

“For as much as Milngavie came back into the game in the second half I feel we were wasteful going forward and they should never have had the chance to put that pressure on us.”

That was also a fair reflection of what Frank saw from the sideline.

Vale created good opportunities without converting enough of them. Milngavie, though, kept themselves alive and had chances of their own late enough in the contest that an equaliser would not have felt stolen.

Vale eventually saw it through for a 2–1 victory.

Same faces, another step forward

Perhaps the most interesting thing for Footy Focus wasn’t simply Sunday’s result.

When we featured Vale last season, Declan was one of several people we got to know around the club.

Returning to watch them again revealed something significant: many of those same people are still there.

Vale have moved up into Division Two without ripping everything up and starting again.

Declan believes that continuity has helped them adapt.

“In terms of moving up a division I feel we have coped incredibly well thus far with the difference in level, taking 13 out of 15 points so far in the league.”

Rather than making wholesale changes following promotion, Vale retained the core of what they already had.

“We’ve also retained the vast majority of last season’s squad and added a few bodies where necessary.”

And despite such a strong opening to life in Division Two, the goalkeeper doesn’t believe this Vale side has reached its ceiling.

“The team certainly has more to give going forward and I look forward to the rest of the fixtures throughout the season.”