Oxford were the better side and it seemed the best Darlington could hope for was a goalless draw.
That was until Brian Healy stepped out of the shadows.
The 32-year-old has been out of action for over a year with a serious knee injury.
His career hung by a thread as he resorted to knocking on managers' doors asking for a trial. On Friday Taylor said yes and Healy came off the substitutes bench to score with a stooping header on 73 minutes to repay his new manager by giving him his first Darlington win.
"I decided to include him and it paid off," said Taylor.
"Sometimes these decisions backfire, but this one came off. It was a great goal.
"Our strikers took the defenders away and Brian got in between everybody."
Earlier Darlington keeper Andy Collett had twice denied Oxford livewire Jamie Brooks by producing classy saves. Then Collett prevent an Oxford equaliser when he twisted in mid-air to turn away Paul Moody's goalbound header.
Taylor acknowledged that he was even more indebted to his keeper than his new-found goal hero.
He said: "Collett is an outstanding keeper. He kept us in the game.
"In the first half we were rubbish but we got better."
They got luckier too, and if that lasts better times lie ahead.
