ROOKIE right-back Steven Taylor last night admitted that his progress into the Newcastle first team has been inspired by the exploits of fellow 18-year-old Tony McMahon.

After making his senior debut at Old Trafford in October, McMahon is in line for his ninth successive Premiership start when Middlesbrough entertain Manchester City this evening.

The teenager's fine form is keeping former Dutch international Michael Reiziger on the substitutes bench and, after starting the season as Boro's fourth-choice full-back, McMahon is now an established member of Steve McClaren's back four.

Taylor was also the fringes when the season began in August, but a succession of injuries have seen him elevated to Newcastle's first-team ranks.

The former Monkseaton High School pupil has played alongside McMahon at international level and, after making his second successive start in Saturday's 4-0 defeat at Chelsea, he is desperate to emulate the impact his former team-mate has made on Teesside.

"I've come through the ranks with Tony as an England player," said Taylor, who was born in Greenwich but raised in the North-East. "He's done very well at Middlesbrough this season.

"I do look at what he's achieved over the last few months and there's no reason why that can't be me. He's taken his chance in the first team so why can't I?

"I've been at Newcastle since I was nine and, now that I'm in the first team, all I want to do is stay there. As a local lad, it means a lot to me - just like I'm sure it means a lot to Tony.

"But I know I need competition to make progress. It's well documented that the manager intends to sign some centre-halves in January. That will mean more competition, and that can only benefit me in the long run."

The emergence of McMahon, Stewart Downing and James Morrison has seen Middlesbrough hailed as one of the Premiership's leading breeding grounds for young talent.

Taylor, on the other hand, is the only youngster to have graduated from Newcastle's Academy system since Shola Ameobi made his senior debut more than four years ago.

Thanks to Sir Bobby Robson's policy of investing in youth though, the Magpies do possess a plethora of talented youngsters and, of the 16 players named in Newcastle's squad at Stamford Bridge, six are aged 23 or under.

"We have a young and developing squad here," said Taylor. "Jermaine Jenas is only 21 and yet he's skippering a Premiership team.

"We've got a young side, although we've also got players like Ronny Johnsen with a lot of experience to balance that out.

"In five or six years, most of the players involved at Stamford Bridge will still be in the Premiership and I want to be one of them.

"I've just got into the team and I can't let the Chelsea game get me down.

"They are a big team and playing against them was a real test for me.

"I'll have to see how things go next week, but I'd like to think I'd get another chance."

After bombing up and down the touchline against Everton, Taylor was forced to concentrate on his defensive duties for most of Saturday's game.

And, while Arjen Robben might have scored a wonderful solo goal to make it 3-0, the teenager more than held his own against Chelsea's flying Dutchman.

"Against top quality players like Arjen Robben, you've got to be aware of what you can and can't do," said Taylor.

"It's different playing away from home.

" I knew I wasn't going to have as much of the ball as I did against Everton.

"I had to sit back much more and I wasn't able to get forward as much as I would have liked.

"We were disappointed to give away what we did, but we've got to pick ourselves up now. We can't let it affect us as a team and I certainly can't let it affect me personally."

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