After a tough couple of years, Perth Glory striker Adam Taggart says he’s got the love back for football as the in-form forward prepares to face his former club Newcastle Jets on Sunday.
Taggart, 23, is back in the sort of form that saw him elevated to the Caltex Socceroos for the 2014 FIFA World Cup with five goals from six starts this season.
After a disastrous couple of seasons in the UK with Fulham and a loan spell in Scotland a period bedevilled by injury, we’re now seeing the best of Taggart.
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And he’s clearly loving life again with his hometown club after re-signing for them a year ago and being eligible to play for Glory since the middle of 2016.
“Especially over the last couple of months, I’ve been able to stay fit and play regular football, and even just being back in my home town and playing in front of family and friends again,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“Because in the last few years it’s been just turning up the stadium by yourself with no-one sort of watching.
“I’m always wanting to improve. I came back here to get a good run of games and find my love for the game again.
“And after regular football in the last month or so it’s been really positive for me personally. But at the same time all my focus is on the team.
“And especially having the win on the weekend [against Phoenix] has topped the month off.”
Taggart and Glory faces his former club on Sunday for the second time this season after the Hunter outfit stunned Perth at nib Stadium for their first win in the West in 11 years.
And Taggart was happy to stoke the fires as he took a swipe at Mark Jones’ squad, who sit one spot and one point below Glory in sixth spot.
“I wouldn’t swap a Perth Glory player for one of the Newcastle players,” he said.
Taggart added it’s not “time to panic” with plenty of time left in the season for Glory in fifth to put together a winning run and finish in the top four.
“I think it’s pretty obvious to everyone we haven’t reached our potential yet. There’s still a lot more that we can do.”