IT’S ALL SMILES AS UNITED MAKE RETURN
HAYES & Yeading United chairman Tony O’Driscoll admitted his overriding emotion was ‘relief’ after the club returned home from five years in the wilderness.
The club was formed when Hayes and Yeading merged nine years ago, meaning they have spent more time playing away at Woking and Maidenhead than they have in their native Hillingdon Borough.
What should have been a short stint away dragged on as the club couldn’t come up with the finances to finish the project, having sold the old Hayes ground and decided to build a new stadium on the site of Yeading’s home in Beaconsfield Road.
Yet on Friday night all the pain and frustration was put to one side as United hosted Hendon at the Skyex Community Stadium. Even a 2-0 defeat, ex-United man Dale Binns and Spencer McCall scoring first half goals, couldn’t dampen the mood. “It’s relief more than anything,” said O’Driscoll. “Some people came back who hadn’t seen us play for a number of years. It was good to see them and there were smiles on a lot of people’s faces. “The key thing on Friday was to get back. We’ve now got a place we can call home.” The last few days were critical for Hayes & Yeading. Hillingdon Council inspected the stadium on Wednesday and gave the go-ahead for the friendly. Two days later came even better news.The Southern League’s top brass gave United permission to kick off their new league campaign at home. T heir first home league match will be against Hitchin Town on Tuesday, August 9. O’Driscoll said: “If we hadn’t got the go-ahead from the Southern League we would have had to play more games at Maidenhead and that would have been a problem. The FA gave us some help in telling us what we needed to do and we have a few things still left to do, but we are getting there.”
The main stand wasn’t usable for the Hendon game because it didn’t have emergency lighting and that is something the council want resolved, while the Southern League want tarmac around the pitch by August 9.
But United are confident that will be done and are eager to get started in the Southern League following their relegation from National League South last term. They begin at Frome Town next Saturday before hosting Hitchin and then Leamington (Sat, Aug 13).
O’Driscoll added: “I know a lot of people would have preferred us to be in the Ryman League, but I’m quite happy about it – we’ll face a lot of new clubs.
“There will be a little more travelling, but that’s not the end of the world.” Not after what they’ve been through in the last five years…