All Hayles the king! Striker is still going strong at 46
IN THE FIRST OF A TWO-PART FEATURE, CLIVE YOULTON LOOKS AT THE LONG AND VARIED CAREER OF STRIKER BARRY HAYLES, WHO IS NOW AT HIS 15TH CLUB
THE Hammersmith End at Fulham’s Craven Cottage reverberated to the sound of ‘Ooh Barry Hayles, Ooh Barry Hayles.’
It was three years ago when the modest striker, who had made more than 200 appearances for the club across three divisions between 1998 and 2004, stood sheepishly among supporters to acknowledge the acclaim.
Now 46, Hayles is at the 15th club of a wonderful career, as assistant manager to Frank Wilson at Isthmian League Premier Division outfit, Merstham.
It will not surprise those who know him to learn he is also registered as a player at The Moatside, having ended his Football League career at Cheltenham Town aged 38, before playing into his 40s for Truro City, Chesham United and Windsor.
For a man who started out at Spartan League club Willesden Hawkeye, Hayles went on to hit the bullseye thanks to his electric pace, a dizzying turn and uncanny ability to score goals.
The likes of Kevin Keegan, Chris Coleman, Jean Tigana and Ian Holloway – an eclectic mix of bosses – all knew a good player when they saw one.
Hayles fitted the bill.
A 150-plus game career at nonleague Stevenage Borough earned a move to the Football League with Bristol Rovers, where he banged in 32 goals in 62 games.
Fulham then came calling in a deal worth £2.1 million.
Sheffield United, Millwall, Plymouth Argyle and Leicester City followed, but it was in SW6 where he is best remembered, scoring 44 goals as one of a fearsome front three alongside Louis Saha and Luis BoaMorte.
He arrived in leafy Surrey due to his friendship with Wilson, but he was not a name some of the Moatsiders players were aware of and he smiled: “Some of them find out gradually and some say, ‘what are you talking about – Fulham in the Premier League?’ and then they find out as Frank throws a thing out there, like ‘in Barry’s day, in his Premier League days, they probably would have done this differently.’”
He appreciates the value of hard work, allied to talent, and his move to Fulham saw a rarity in the late 1990s – a League One club splashing out more than £2m for a player.
Mind you, he had just banged in 40 goals for Rovers in little more than a year, including against Plymouth Argyle on his debut with a first-half header, to alert the Cottagers.
He became an important component of Fulham owner Mohamed Al Fayed’s revolution at that time, among other big money signings such as Coleman, Paul Peschisolido, Maik Taylor, Rufus Brevett, Geoff Horsfield, Peter Beardsley and Steve Finnan.
“My first Football League outing for Rovers was a major highlight and I scored, then going to Fulham and being in a squad that made it to the Premier League was absolutely brilliant,” adds Hayles.
He also admits he would have liked a certain north London club to come in for him, his beloved Tottenham Hotspur.
There cannot be many players who start out at grassroots level and then go on to play against the team they support at the top level and score.
That happened to him at White Hart Lane in August 2003 against a Spurs side captained by Jamie Rednapp, after he had helped Fulham to the Premier League for the first time in their history in 2001.
■ Continued next week, including Hayles’ favourite game and the best player he has played with in his career...