Hayes F.C.

Not to be confused with Hayes & Yeading.
Hayes
Full name Hayes Football Club
Nickname(s) The Missioners
Founded 1909
(as Botwell Mission)
Dissolved 2008
Ground Church Road, Hayes
Ground Capacity 4,730 (500 seated)
2006–07 Conference South, 19th

Hayes F.C. was an English football club based in Hayes, in Greater London. The club started out as Botwell Mission in 1909, adopting the name Hayes F.C. in 1929. The team nickname, The Missioners, was a salute to the history of the team. The club played in the Conference South for their last few seasons in existence. Their home stadium was Church Road which seated 500 with a total capacity of 6,500 (although the record attendance at this ground was 15,370 - for an Amateur Cup tie against Bromley in 1951). The team was recognised by their red and white striped shirt. The club's last manager was Kevin Hill, who got the job on a full-time basis after successfully steering the team clear of relegation after the departure of Willy Wordsworth towards the end of the 2006-07 season. Wordsworth had been unable to emulate the success of his predecessor, the highly regarded Terry Brown, who left to take a vacancy at Aldershot Town in 2002.

Hayes merged with Yeading F.C. on 18 May 2007 to form the new club Hayes & Yeading United, who continued to play in the Conference South.[1]

History

Botwell Mission, in 1910/11

Hayes were formed in 1909 by Eileen Shackle, who wished to create a club to encourage boys to participate in sport as well as encourage their religious convictions. Their original name, Botwell Mission, derived from the fact that they changed at the small mission church and stored their kit there.

The club was runner-up in the FA Amateur Cup to Wycombe Wanderers in 1931. Approximately 32,000[2] watched Hayes succumb to a late goal at Highbury.

After winning the Isthmian League in 1996, Hayes had a six-year stint in the Conference National, spanning from 1996 to 2002. They reached their highest league-finish in 1999, ending the season just seven points away from promotion to the Football League, via a Conference championship.

Hayes reached the FA Cup second-round on four occasions; in the FA Trophy they reached the quarter-finals twice.

The club claimed some respectable cup triumphs, among the most noteworthy being those against Fulham, Bristol Rovers and Cardiff City. In 1999 they missed out on a lucrative third-round tie with Chelsea after defeat in extra time to Hull City. An FA Cup tie against Reading in 1972 brought Missioners player Robin Friday to the attention of a wider public, and he was signed by Reading soon after. Friday was voted Reading and Cardiff City's 'Cult Hero' on the BBC's Football Focus.

Church Road saw the start of the career of a number of players who went on to higher levels, among them Les Ferdinand, Cyrille Regis, Blackburn Rovers striker Jason Roberts, Crewe Alexandra's Justin Cochrane and French goalkeeper Bertrand Bossu.

Hayes F.C.'s most (in)famous supporter - and its most surprising - was Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.[3]

Honours

The club's honours include: a third-place finish in the Football Conference, Isthmian League championship, Athenian League title, and Spartan League and Great Western Suburban League championships.

Hayes F.C. reached the first round of the FA Cup 22 times, the second round 4 times, the semi-finals of the FA Amateur Cup in 1957, the final in 1931 and various other regional cup wins. These include the Middlesex Senior Cup (ten-time winners), the London Senior Cup (twice winners), and single London Charity Cup and Premier Midweek Cup wins.

Records

Past players

References

External links

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