Matt Taylor, the former Bristol Rovers manager, recently shared the profound personal tragedy that deeply affected his life last year. Taylor, 43, is widely recognized for his successful four-year tenure at Exeter City and has also had managerial stints with Rotherham and Bristol Rovers.
Taylor’s time with Bristol Rovers came to an end last December following a challenging period marked by poor team performance. However, he has now revealed that during this time, he was also grappling with an intense personal loss that compounded the difficulties he faced.
His wife, Sarah, a dedicated nurse, had to rush to the hospital, leaving Taylor to take care of their two children along with his sister’s kids. As limited updates trickled in, Matt sensed that something was gravely wrong.
The heartbreaking news unfolded when his sister, Hannah, experienced a complication during childbirth. Her newborn daughter, Elsie, was deprived of oxygen for eight crucial minutes, resulting in a lack of brain activity.
This personal tragedy, layered over his professional challenges, paints a picture of a man enduring immense emotional hardship while trying to fulfill his responsibilities both on and off the field.
EFL boss Matt Taylor has opened up on the heartbreaking family tragedy he suffered last year
During childbirth, Hannah’s newborn daughter, who was named Elsie, got stuck and was without oxygen for eight minutes, meaning there was no brain activity.
She was put on a life-support machine, while Hannah became seriously ill and went in to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where she underwent multiple operations to save her life.
Taylor was spending most of his time at the hospital or at home waiting for news, which he admitted was ‘horrible’.
Hannah’s second operation did thankfully save her life and things began to slowly improve from her perspective but the situation was still the same with Elsie, something Taylor added was ‘just heartbreaking’.
Taylor and his family retained hope that the situation would improve though, and he attended Rovers’ game against Blackpool on the Tuesday, which they lost 2-0, after encouragement from Hannah and her husband Steve.
However, given he hadn’t been involved in the preparation or team selection, Taylor had a limited impact.
The club subsequently granted him a leave of absence for what they described as an ‘ongoing family emergency’ at the time.
And, while Hannah continued to improve, Elsie didn’t and her life-support machine was heartbreakingly turned off.
The tragedy happened at a time when Taylor was battling to save his job at Bristol Rovers
Reflecting on that moment, Taylor added: ‘Saturday was the day we said goodbye. Sarah, my children and my parents said goodbye to Elsie. Hannah and Steve had all day Sunday with their beautiful little girl.
‘Elsie passed away peacefully in Hannah and Steve’s arms on Sunday. It was absolutely brutal and heartbreaking.
‘The grief is huge. We talk openly. Maybe because we were all together at the start, it’s helped us have that kind of relationship. But I can’t put into words the grief that they must be feeling as parents.
‘In terms of where Hannah’s at now, it’s good and bad every day. Difficult moments every single day. You hope her health continues to improve. Even now, she’s still trying to get her body in a better place.’
Just a day after Elsie’s passing, Taylor’s partner Sarah then found out she was pregnant, with the 43-year-old explaining how they had feelings of ‘guilt, fear, joy, everything’ at the time given what had gone on, although his sister and her partner were hugely understanding.
In his absence, Rovers lost to Leyton Orient in the league and beat Barnsley on penalties in the FA Cup second round, and Taylor was keen to return to work.
However, he knew he was under pressure at the time and felt that if his side didn’t beat Birmingham City in their next game then his job would be in danger.
They lost the match 2-0 and Taylor was dismissed the following day.
The 43-year-old subsequently opened up on the pain of the decision but insisted he had to see the bigger picture.
Taylor, who has also managed Exeter and Rotherham, said he is now ready to return to work
‘The meeting in which I was sacked wasn’t a relief in any way,’ he added. ‘You’re always disappointed to lose your job. But my focus had to be on my family. That month, which had Christmas, the funeral, New Year. I had also just lost my job as well. My wife was pregnant.
‘Christmas was the first time we’d all been together for 20-odd years. There were close to 20 people in our house. We made it an event and we did a fireworks display. It was a little moment of joy in amongst the sadness. The funeral was beautiful despite the sadness and pain.’
Following his dismissal, Taylor and his wife Sarah subsequently moved back to Sheffield and had their third child five weeks ago.
And, after a hugely difficult period in his life, Taylor insisted his family are now looking up and outlined how he is ready to return to management 10 months after his departure from Rovers.
