An extra bone, a WSL season and now, a Pirate - The Amber Gaylor Story
Real Bedford Women featured in the first round of the FA Cup for the first time in the 2023/24 season. On 12th November 2023, they hosted step three Billericay Town, who proved to be too strong on the day, winning 5-0. One player scored a brace for the visitors, including a 30-yard strike in the second half to cap off an impressive performance. Her name? Amber Gaylor.
Almost two years later, Gaylor is a Real Bedford player, helping the Pirates win promotion to tier three last season - beating Norwich City to the FAWNL Division One South East title. The 30-year-old’s journey to Bedford is one of injury setbacks, unwavering resilience and natural ability. This is her story.
Early Career and Transition to Senior Football
Gaylor started her early career at Histon FC and Cambridge United before joining Arsenal’s youth set up at 11. She spent seven years with the Gunners, and when the WSL2 was established she made the transition to senior football, joining London Bees in the second tier of English football.
Speaking about the transition from academy football to senior football, Gaylor said:
“As soon as I heard about the WSL2, I saw an opportunity to play first team football and jumped at it.”
From 2015 to 2021, Gaylor then spent time at the likes of Millwall, London City, Yeovil Town and Crystal Palace, predominantly playing in the FA WSL 2, but also played a season with the Glovers in the top tier.
WSL Season with Yeovil Town and Ankle Injury
Speaking about her experience in the Women’s Super League (WSL), the midfielder said:
“The biggest difference is the intensity and the standards. You’re full-time, training nearly every day. You’re playing some of the best players in the world so there’s little room to make mistakes. You have to live and breathe football if you want to excel.”
It was a tumultuous season for Yeovil in the 2018/19 season, who were relegated from the WLS after receiving a 10-point deduction for entering administration. Personally, for Gaylor, the end of 2018 sparked an injury worry that persisted for the next six years. Speaking about the ankle injury that first appeared in December 2018, Gaylor said:
“In December 2018, I jumped up to challenge for a header and landed on the outside of my foot. This led to me damaging various ligaments, but after months of rehab I was still unable to strike a ball without pain. I had various scans, but the radiologists highlighted nothing further and I was left undiagnosed.
Over the next few years the pain became unbearable, continuing to meet specialists the remedies only seemed to paper over the cracks. Rest seemed to be the only effective protocol.”
‘I lost the love for the game’ – Time at Billericay Town and FA Cup Match Against Real Bedford
Gaylor signed for London City in 2019 in the FA Women’s Championship and then Crystal Palace in 2020. Her injury woes continued to persist, but despite the setbacks she still managed to make 12 appearances for the Eagles, with her only goal coming in the 2-1 win against Lewes.
After leaving Palace in the summer of 2021, Gaylor took almost a year out. She then played a handful of games for Billericay towards the end of their 2022 season, helping with their promotion to tier three. Her fading love for the game and injury issues meant she nearly gave up football entirely.
She spoke about this period in her career:
“I didn’t want to play anymore, I was over it. I lost the love for the game.”
After a long break Gaylor started playing recreationally and started to find her love for the game again. She signed for Billericay in the 2023/2024 campaign.
Despite her indifference to the sport, Gaylor impressed against Real Bedford in one of her nine appearances in all competitions. This caught the attention of Chairman Peter McCormack and Charlie Bill, who was the head coach at MK Dons.
Signing for Real Bedford and Fixing the Ankle Injury
Gaylor was quickly announced as Bill’s first signing of the summer in 2024. Ankle issues persisted during pre-season, though, meaning the 30-year-old went to seek specialist help to discover the root cause of the problem.
Gaylor went to visit Sam Singh, a foot and ankle specialist based in London, and discovered that she had been suffering from Os trigonum syndrome – a condition which causes pain in the ankle due to an extra bone. Speaking about the injury that went undiagnosed for over half a decade, Gaylor said:
“I found this ankle specialist called Sam Singh, who took one look at a scan of my ankle and confidently diagnosed the issue.I had an extra bone that had been causing me discomfort for years. He performed my surgery and got me back up and running.”
Peter McCormack’s Commitment to Growing the Women’s Game and 2024/25 Title Victory
One thing that stood out immediately for Gaylor before joining the pirates was the club’s core values, ambitions and the involvement of Chairman Peter McCormack. The midfielder had previously been at clubs with uncertain futures, but she quickly noticed that Real Bedford was a long-term project with a clear vision and a Chairman significantly invested in the growth of the women’s game, Gaylor said:
“I am a strong believer in self-sovereignty, decentralisation and freedom. Aligning on the pitch is one thing, but off as well, from a personal perspective, that’s something I couldn’t let pass me by.
Pete’s love for the club and town shines through his actions. He has a clear vision for the future and It's an exciting time to be involved in just a small part of a wider project.”
After getting to the bottom of her ankle injury, Gaylor played an integral part in Real Bedford Women’s title victory last season. She scored seven and assisted four in all competitions, winning the Player of the Match in the 5-0 County Cup final victory against Luton Town at Kenilworth Road, while also winning the club’s Goal of the Season and International Fans’ Player of the Season Awards.
Speaking about the title win and her selection as the International Fans’ Player of the Season, Gaylor said:
“Honestly, I was just grateful for the support everyone showed me at the club, to be back playing for the last few months of the season, and having a ball at my feet. Being able to make an impact was a bonus and the awards were a very pleasant surprise.
We always believed we had what it took to win the league, but also that the hard work required couldn’t be underestimated. There were some pretty tough games where digging deep and showing character was crucial, but we knew what we set out to do, took it game by game and showed resilience throughout. What a season!”
2025/26 Season and Hopes for the Future
In terms of the upcoming campaign, Gaylor is aware of the huge step up to the third tier, but believes that the squad assembled by Bill and his coaching staff will be ready for the first game against AFC Wimbledon on Sunday 17th August. She said:
“We’re aware that it’s not going to be easy. I think you can always guarantee we’re going to give it 100% and we want to get a positive result at Wimbledon.
The ambitions and where we want to get to as a club in the long-term future is very powerful, and I want myself to be in the best position to give the best I can for the club.”
