OUT-of-contract Cherries striker Lyle Taylor is hoping his final flourish may have earned him an extended stay at Seward Stadium.

Taylor, who penned a two-year deal when he joined Cherries from Concord Rangers, is waiting to discover whether he will be offered fresh terms by the club.

The 22-year-old has experienced mixed fortunes since Eddie Howe plucked him from the non-league ranks and has been used sparingly during his two-year stay.

However, Taylor was named in the squad for seven of caretaker boss Paul Groves’s eight games in charge and started the last two against Scunthorpe and Preston.

“It has been good and also a bit weird,” admitted Taylor. “I am normally nervous before games but that hasn’t been the case in the past couple. I have just gone into them with a nothing to lose and everything to gain attitude.”

Taylor, who netted twice during a loan spell at Hereford in February and March, added: “It was good experience to play two games in a row. I had a run of games when I was at Hereford and that helps.

“I felt a bit tired towards the end of the second half at Scunthorpe, which was just through a lack of match fitness. But I felt a lot better against Preston.”

Taylor is one of a number of players waiting to discover his fate with decisions and the club’s retained list expected to be revealed once Cherries’ management situation has been resolved.

“Only time will tell whether I have done enough,” said Taylor, whose contract officially expires at the end of June. “I want to stay. I have been here for two years and have really enjoyed it. There is not a lot I can do now because the season is over. I just have to hope I have done enough.

“It has been an up-and-down season to say the least. But I was happy with my last two performances and was happy with how I performed when I was at Hereford. In the games I played towards the end of the season, I could put my hand on my heart and say I was pleased with how I played.”

Taylor, who started seven of Cherries’ first nine games, dropped down the pecking order following the arrival of Wes Thomas in September and was then farmed out on loan soon after Matt Tubbs had been drafted in during the January transfer window.

And although he has struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular, Taylor is adamant his non-league background has not counted against him.

He said: “Everyone in the squad is equal, whether they come from non-league or the Premier League. We can’t have any divides because divides breed contempt and contempt is never going to get you anywhere. There is good togetherness in the squad and everyone wants to work hard for each other. We are all in it together.”