Dale Taylor

Dale Taylor (born 12 December 2003) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL League One club Blackpool and the Northern Ireland national team.^[4]

Dale Taylor

Personal information
Full name	Dale Taylor[1]
Date of birth	(2003-12-12) 12 December 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth	Belfast, Northern Ireland[2]
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[3]
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Blackpool
Number	18
Youth career
	Greenisland
	Linfield
2020–2022	Nottingham Forest
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2022–2025	Nottingham Forest	0	(0)
2023	→ Burton Albion (loan)	20	(5)
2023–2024	→ Wycombe Wanderers (loan)	42	(5)
2024–2025	→ Wigan Athletic (loan)	43	(11)
2025–	Blackpool	0	(0)
International career‡
2018	Northern Ireland U16	2	(0)
2018–2019	Northern Ireland U17	11	(1)
2021	Northern Ireland U19	2	(0)
2021–2024	Northern Ireland U21	12	(2)
2021–	Northern Ireland	9	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:44, 9 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 21 March 2025

Club career

Nottingham Forest

Taylor is a former youth academy player of Greenisland and Linfield.^[5] He joined English club Nottingham Forest in July 2020.^[6] He signed his first professional contract with the club in December 2020.^[7] On 4 July 2022, Taylor signed a new three-year deal with Forest.^[8]

On 23 August 2022, Taylor made his professional debut in a 3–0 victory over Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup.^[9] On 20 January 2023, Taylor signed on loan with EFL League One side Burton Albion for the remainder of the season.^[10][11] Taylor scored his first senior league goal in a 2–0 victory over Oxford United on 28 January 2023.^[12]

On 23 July 2023, Taylor signed with League One side Wycombe Wanderers on a season-long loan.^[13] In the 2024 EFL Trophy final at Wembley Stadium, Taylor scored an 89th-minute equaliser against Peterborough United, but Wycombe went on to lose the match 2–1.^[14]

On 28 August 2024, Taylor returned to League One, joining Wigan Athletic on a season-long loan deal.^[15] He scored 11 goals for the club, and received the club's Player of the Year award.^[16]

Blackpool

On 7 August 2025, Taylor signed for League One club Blackpool for an undisclosed fee, signing a four-year contract with an optional fifth year.^[17] Due to a clerical error by the club, resulting in an issue with his registration with the Football League, Taylor was unable to make his debut on 9 August as planned.^[18]

International career

Taylor has represented Northern Ireland at youth level.^[19] In November 2021, he received his first call-up to the Northern Ireland national team.^[20] He made his senior team debut on 12 November 2021 in a 1–0 World Cup qualifier win against Lithuania.^[21]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 3 May 2025

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Nottingham Forest	2022–23[22]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
Burton Albion (loan)	2022–23[22]	League One	20	5	—		—		—		20	5
Wycombe Wanderers (loan)	2023–24[23]	League One	42	5	2	0	1	0	6[a]	4	51	9
Wigan Athletic (loan)	2024–25[24]	League One	43	11	4	0	0	0	0	0	47	11
Blackpool	2025–26[25]	League One	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career total			105	21	6	0	2	0	6	4	119	25

1. Appearances in EFL Trophy

International

As of match played 21 March 2025^[4]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Northern Ireland	2021	1	0
	2023	5	0
	2024	2	0
	2025	1	0
Total		9	0

Honours

Wycombe Wanderers

• EFL Trophy runner-up: 2023–24^[14]

Individual

• Wigan Athletic Player of the Year: 2024–25^[26]