Today, the 34-year-old, his shortened left leg the legacy of that blackest hour, will be in the thick of the action as Wycombe battle Leicester for a place in the FA Cup semi-finals. Taylor, already a hero to the Adams Park faithful following his role in the penalty shoot-out victory over Wimbledon in the last round, admitted that his early ambitions after the break extended no further than walking properly.

The former miner said: 'I broke my leg seriously in October 1994, playing for Derby against Southend. I was out for two years and one or two people thought my career was over. I broke my tibia and fibula. One was completely smashed, the other ... well it took a big chunk out of my leg, basically. 'I've lost half an inch out of my left leg, so I have to have supports on the bottom of my boots so I can run properly. I've got a nail inside my bone still.

'The worse thing was that, 11 months after the break, I had to go through the same operation again - and they actually had to break my ankle and take the difference out, so that both bones were the same length. They took four or five millimetres off just above the ankle.

'With the second operation, I asked the surgeon if he would fix it and he said Yes. He said he didn't know if I would play again but, at that stage, actually walking properly was my main goal.'

Taylor, who turned down a short-term YTS contract with Leicester to stay down the pit before getting his chance with Derby, added: 'I kept going because I didn't know anything else. 'There were obviously dark days in the 18 months afterwards, until I started training again. To say I never thought about whether I would get back would be wrong, I did.

'But I never got to seriously thinking about not coming back. I never sat down and discussed that with the manager. 'It is a cliche but every game is a bonus for me.' Unfortunately, victory today will only land Taylor and his team a £130-a-man bonus.