BEFORE a shoulder injury prematurely ended his season on Boxing Day at Liverpool last year Steven Taylor had established himself as Newcastle United's premier centre half.

An astonishing fact considering the club had previously spent a small fortune on acquiring the services of an experienced French international Jean Alain Boumsong (£8.5m) and Titus Bramble (£5.5m). Taylor is a teenage product of United's youth policy and didn't cost a penny.

Taylor may have been the beneficiary of some good fortune while he jumped ahead of Bramble and Craig Moore in the pecking order to partner Boumsong at the heart of the United defence, but the 20-year-old defender had kept his place on merit.

Injuries to both Bramble and Moore last pre-season handed the highly-rated teenager an opportunity to stake his claim.

Taylor not only grabbed the chance with both hands but he thrived on the added responsibility.

A series of commanding displays at centre half saw his burgeoning talent blossom, which was just as well given the nature of his defensive partner, Boumsong, who bungled from game to game.

There was even talk that he may even make a step up from the England under-21 side in to Sven-Goran Eriksson's squad.

But a fall in an under-21 contest, where he dislocated his shoulder, brought his season to a shuddering halt.

An attempted comeback spectacularly backfired when he aggravated his shoulder injury less than a month later in the festive fixture at Anfield, a game United lost 2-0, and it was decided that surgery was the only solution if he was to get his career back on track.

Since that painful day Newcastle's talented defender has seen the returning Bramble and Moore jump above him in the pecking order to become manager Glenn Roeder's first choice centre half pairing.

But Taylor is now ready to reclaim his place back, after his frustrating spell on the sidelines, and threw down the gauntlet to the men currently in possession.

"I feel better for the last seven months," admitted Taylor prior to this weekend's curtain raiser at St James' Park with Wigan. "I've got a few (pre-season) games under my belt, which helps, and I'm back to normal.

"It was a lonely time for me the last seven months. I came back after three-and-a-half weeks and got injured again and was ready three games before the end of last season but the gaffer said there was no point in risking things.

"He gave me the whole summer to get the shoulder right and get it all back to square one.

"And I've had contact and I've fallen down in training and it's all fine.

"Competition for places is good, it's a challenge and I thrive on that. At this club it's good to have lots of players at centre-half. You have to perform well in training as well as games to try and get the shirt."

Taylor's quest to win his place back in Roeder's starting XI may be his personal ambition this term but he has pencilled in slightly higher aspirations for his hometown team.

Newcastle may not have the strength and depth to threaten the Premier League's big four and win the title but Taylor believes a cup is well within the club's reach.

"We put pressure on ourselves to win trophies," confessed the former Cramlington Junior.

"This club is desperate for to win something after 50 years. We've got to lift the club up and take it to a different level.

"We can qualify for the UEFA Cup proper. We've got a great squad. It's small but players are starting to come in. When they're the standard of Damien Duff it's great.

"We have great characters around the dressing room, who are winners, so I'm confident we'll have a good season and we want a cup badly."

The Magpies have endured a patchy pre-season.

In the friendlies against PSV Eindhoven and Villarreal, supporters have witnessed the club's old Achilles heel - inept defending - rear its ugly head once more.

But having said that United have produced the goods when it's mattered in the Intertoto Cup and UEFA Cup ties.

Taylor believes Newcastle fans need not worry themselves about the club's indifferent pre-season friendly contests and insists they will be ready for when the serious stuff starts against Wigan tomorrow.

"They were good work outs against PSV and Villarreal as they play at a high pace and are both top quality sides.

"Villarreal were in the Champions League semi-finals last year so it was a good test and good preparation for the season.

"This club wants to be the best and we want to be in Europe playing against the best sides on a regular basis.

"To play against them was fantastic. We made a lot of changes and tried a few things out. Pre-season friendlies is the time to try stuff out and that's what the gaffer's done, we're happy with ourselves.

"We've given away some very poor goals. I don't care how many we concede in pre-season. It's the real thing that matters when we play Wigan and in the UEFA Cup."