Sat Nov 02, 2013 8:32 am
Saturday 2nd November 2013.
Andrew Taylor will experience his first South Wales derby tomorrow and is expecting the best atmosphere he has known in his career.
“Manchester City at Cardiff City Stadium this season was incredible, absolutely the best, and I hope it tops that,” says left-back Taylor. “Home fans spurred us on to victory against Manchester City and we’d love them to do the same again.
“The rivalry is up there with Celtic v Rangers and we want Cardiff fans to be passionate, vocal and sing their songs. But there is a fine line – and we would all hate anybody to overstep that.
“This is a huge match which will be watched around the world and we all know how much it means to fans.” Swansea are in their third season of Premier League football and Cardiff are new to the top flight this season, but Taylor insists that won’t mean anything tomorrow.
“We are both in the Premier League and on a level together now,” says Taylor (pictured below). “Cardiff is the capital of Wales. It is the major city. Over the last couple of years, in football terms, Swansea have been ahead of Cardiff. Now we have chance to put things right and make our point.
“This is my first South Wales derby and there is an awful lot more spotlight than I have experienced before. Fans stop me in the street telling how much it means to them. It would be easy to think it’s another game with three points at stake, but it’s a whole lot more than that and we all understand it. We know how much it means to fans.
“I played in Middlesbrough v Sunderland matches in the North East, but they are nothing compared to this. I have not experienced a rivalry at this level before.
“There is a lot of hostility and I sincerely hope that passion doesn’t spill over, that we have a good, entertaining match and we win. Everybody can then get home safe.” Taylor, 27, has made more than 100 first-team appearances for the Bluebirds since making the move from Middlesbrough in the summer of 2011 and was a key player in their Championship title-winning team.
“Experience of the occasion helps, but there hasn’t been a South Wales derby for a couple of years,” says Taylor. “This is a new experience for everybody. Atmosphere will be electric and there is pride at stake for both teams.”
There have not been any special team meetings to outline the intensity of a South Wales derby, but there have been chats over the lunch table at their Vale of Glamorgan training ground.