Dave Hatton followed his manager Martin Hackett from Wembley to Hayes in August 1978. A left-sided defender, it was only in his second season that he became a regular first-teamer. He made 52+5 appearances before he was released in April 1980 and went back to Wembley.

With a mounting injury list, manager Kevin Hill recruited Jack Haverson, a teenaged centre-back from AFC Bournemouth in December 2006. As the season went on he became more of a fixture than a back-up, his game visibly improving week on week. At the time of the merger he had made 21 appearances without finding the net.

Our next entry rates among the Hayes immortals for just one goal – but what a goal. In the final match of the 1995-6 season, at Carshalton, Hayes needed to finish with a two-goal advantage over Enfield to gain promotion to the Conference. Holding a 2-0 lead with 18 minutes left, while Enfield were only drawing at Yeovil, centre-half Andy Cox sustained a broken nose; centre-forward Gary Williams moved back into defence, and Junior Haynes joined David Pearce in attack. Nine minutes later, a high, cross-field ball from Steve Baker found Junior, wide on the left of the penalty area. Letting the ball take one high bounce, he volleyed the ball with his trusty left foot round Les Cleevely into the top right corner of the goal. Enfield’s late winner at Yeovil was in vain. Hayes were promoted. The newspapers were full of the exploits of this 19-year-old postman from Streatham. Whatever he did afterwards hardly mattered. Junior had joined Hayes in December 1995 from Hendon, where he was considered excess to requirement by new boss Neil Price, having previously played for Tottenham Hotspur, Luton Town, Stevenage and Barnet. He made an immediate impact, frequently coming on as substitute and scoring. In Hayes’ first season in the Conference, he started with aplomb and led the scoring charts until the hardened defences sussed him out. Goals dried up, he went on loan to Dulwich Hamlet in exchange for Willie Lillington in the hope of finding the goal-touch again, but without avail. In one of his last games, he was sent off after tangling with Cliff Hercules at Slough on Boxing Day – a sad end for an essentially decent man. In January 1998 he was transferred to Sutton United for £5000, and later played for Carshalton, Boreham Wood, Slough, and Dulwich Hamlet. Over three seasons at Church Road he made 62+37 appearances and scored 25 goals. But he will always be remembered for that goal (pictured left).

Another decent man comes next, who was renowned for his long service. Glenn Hayward, born in 1960, and brought up at Feltham, .joined Hounslow and then Brentford, where he played reserve football. A defensive midfielder, he came to Hayes at the start of the 1982-3 season. Over the next eleven seasons he made 522+25 appearances, including twice being ever-present, and scored 23 goals. Playing alongside other long-serving players, such as Alan Cox, Mark Harrison, Reg Leather and Mick McGovern, he could be excused for thinking nothing ever changed at Church Road. During this time, he thrice won the Player of the Year award, was only once cautioned (I hope the referee was informed of the fact) and never dismissed. He was held in such regard that he was awarded a testimonial match in April 1994 against Brentford – who else? – and played one half for each team.

With the central midfield struggling, October 2006 saw the arrival of former Millwall youngster Will Hendry. Sadly his battling performances were also noted by Grays Athletic who promptly signed him after just 4 appearances for the Missioners. Thankfully though for the Missioners his time in Essex only lasted a matter of weeks and by January he was back in a Hayes shirt. At the time of the merger he had made 24 appearances, netting once. His Church Road career will continue however as he was one of the first to sign a contract with Hayes & Yeading United.

Over the years the history of Hayes FC has been cluttered by the names of players who have achieved a certain amount of greatness elsewhere, but been a flop in the red and white stripes. Len Hills fits that description perfectly. A centre-forward, he had been a prolific scorer for Redhill and Wealdstone, whom he joined in March 1958. When he moved to Hayes during the close season he was expected to continue this run in a forward line which also boasted Les Champelovier and Johnny Bartholomew. In fact he even took over Noddy’s number 9 shirt. In his first match, it was Bartholomew who scored all five goals in an exciting 5-4 victory over Athenian League new boys, Grays Athletic. A couple of goals in his next two games gave the impression that Hills would deliver – indeed, coach Jim Clarkson was full of praise for him. But the local match reporters were less impressed, and the promised goals did not materialise. By mid-November, Bartholomew had regained the centre-forward slot. After a couple of games on the right wing, after Charlie Lewis broke a leg at Finchley, Hills had played his last for Hayes; a total of 16 games had brought only five goals, and he returned to Wealdstone, where he scored 17 goals in 19 games. What had gone wrong? He last appeared playing against Hayes for Carshalton Athletic in February 1961.

Mick Hoare was one of a succession of centre-halves, whom Hayes tried in the mid-1960s to fill the gap left by the move of Denis Roach, Glen Hoddle’s agent, to Barnet. Hoare came to Hayes from Northolt Saints in September 1965 at the age of 22. He made only six appearances during his first season, stepping in when one centre-half after another failed, until Peter Jones made the position his own for the second half of the season. Hoare started the 1966-7 season as first choice at left-half, but gave way to a rejuvenated Johnny Reay in mid-October and played only odd matches thereafter. All told, he made 25+1 appearances, before joining Ruislip Manor in March 1967. He played for Uxbridge in 1968-9, and Harefield United in the following season.

Finally, we record the exploits of a player who played only once for Hayes, but what a match. In October 1937, Hayes were drawn against the mighty Arsenal in the London Challenge Cup, as a reward for having reached the final of the London Senior Cup during the previous season. Admittedly this was Arsenal reserves, but it was still a strong side, Featuring several players who would make it through to the senior side: George Swindin, Les Scott, Ted Lewis and Denis Compton. Although Hayes were drawn at home, they elected to forfeit ground advantage and played at Highbury. Before the match, however, several players reported unfit. Among them was Welsh international centre-half, Jack Richards. So Hayes, enterprisingly, recruited Les Hockaday from Enfield specifically for this match. Les played a storming game and, along with reserve goalkeeper Reg Saphin, later of QPR and Watford, was instrumental in Hayes gaining a 1-1 draw. Jack Richards was fit for the replay and played instead of Hockaday, who went back to Enfield, in a humiliating 0-12 defeat. Hockaday last crossed swords with Hayes when he played for Leyton against them in October 1946. But he will always be remembered for that game.