Birmingham's Taylor a happy man

Birmingham goalkeeper Maik Taylor wants to end his career with the club - and hopes to agree a new deal to keep him at St Andrews beyond the end of his current contract, which expires in the summer.

The 36-year-old former Fulham man, who moved to Birmingham on a permanent basis in 2004 following a loan spell, has said he feels as fit as ever and, with his family settled in the area, he sees no reason why he cannot continue playing for the club.

However, with all of the possible takeover talk currently surrounding the club, Taylor is not planning on discussing his future until the future direction of the club has been decided - as things could clearly change in a flash under new owners.

Taylor was quoted by Setanta Sports as saying: "I feel great, I feel as fit as ever. I feel as sharp as ever. I feel I could play for a few years to come yet. As long as I enjoy training, then I'd like to carry on.

"Playing matches is not going to be a problem but, if ever I feel I don't fancy training, then that is probably the time to hang up the boots.

"Would I like to finish my playing days at Blues? That would be fantastic. I really enjoy it here. I'm in the last year of my contract but the family are settled here and it would be great if we could sit down and sort something out."

It's not clear what the future holds for anyone at the club, but at least Taylor has indicated he wants to stay at the club. It's also possible he may decide to move into coaching at some point in the future, and Birmingham could do far worse than keep him on the books.

However, that's all in the future and Taylor's immediate concern will be keeping the goal-shy Aston Villa at bay when they visit St Andrews tomorrow. And another good performance against the rivals from across the city would probably go a long way to securing the new contract he desires.

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