Terry Burton – one of four ex-Hayes players to become Football League managers – was a strong-tackling, hard-running midfielder, who joined Hayes in October 1974 from the short-lived Epping Town. He was a games teacher at a Central London school, and had started as an apprentice with Arsenal, before joining Folkestone and then Epping. He stayed with Hayes until the summer of 1976, making 34 appearances and scoring once, when he was appointed  player-coach of Leyton-Wingate. Half-way through the 1976-7 season he joined Ilford, playing against Hayes in September 1977. He came back to Hayes in February 1979, but announced that he would have availability difficulties and, in fact, did not play again for the club. In recent times, of course, he managed Wimbledon, and is now assistant manager at Watford.

Alf Butcher was one of the players who were recruited during Hayes’ first season in the Athenian League in 1930-1.  He was a tough-tackling wing-half and came from Barking. He was recruited as a result of replying to an advertisement for experienced players, placed by Mortimer J. Miller at his own expense, and had already represented the Athenian League several times, the first as long ago as 1923.  But, like Ralph Brown, he picked up an injury, in the final of the Middlesex Senior Cup on Easter Monday, which led to him missing the Amateur Cup final on the following Saturday.  The absence of two such experienced players was instrumental in Hayes losing the final. He played a total of 23 games for Hayes, scoring two goals. He played mainly in cup-ties and looks to have been held back specifically.

Roy Butler was a goal-scoring centre-forward, who was acquired from St Albans in January 1974 to partner Robin Friday. He had started with Ruislip Manor under former Hayes manager Phil McKnight, winning an Athenian League cap, before moving on to Hendon and St Albans. He worked as a works study engineer for Kodak, and was elected Player of the Year at Hayes. He made 72+8 appearances and scored 21 goals. He moved back to Hendon in October 1976, and later played for Boreham Wood (1980-1) and Slough (1981-2).  His son now plays for Hendon.

The last entry under ‘B’ is Pat Byrne, not for the contribution that he made, but for the fact that he used to walk all the way from Tufnell Park to train at Hayes.  He was an Irish amateur international wing-half, and made the grand sum of one appearance for Hayes in 1962-3.  Perhaps it was as well that he did not have to make the walk too many times.

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