Hayes & Yeading United

Hayes & Yeading United FC is a non-league football club which was formed by the merger of Hayes FC and Yeading FC on May 18th 2007. The relevant histories of both clubs can be read about here and here.

The club played matches at Church Road in Hayes and took up a place in Conference South in 2007-08; which is the level that both clubs were playing before the merger. A mid table finish was backed up with a place in the play-offs in 2008-09.

Eastleigh were defeated in the semi-finals before Hayes and Yeading defeated Hampton & Richmond Borough 3-2 in the final thanks to a brace of goals from Steven Gregory and one from Scott Fitzgerald under manager Garry Haylock.

The team finished comfortably in the Conference National league in 2009-10 before turning full time professional the following season. The team reached the first round of the FA Cup before bowing out 2-1 to Wycombe Wanderers at Church Road in front of a crowd of 1,426.

On April 19^th 2011 the club played their last ever game at Church Road as a new stand was built at Yeading’s old Warren home for the club to relocate. The team once again finished clear of any relegation worries.

Haylock was replaced as manager by Nas Bashir in May 2011 as the club began a groundshare at Woking’s Kingfield. The move out of the area affected crowds with the team being relegated at the completion of the 2011-12 campaign.

In February 2013 Basir left the club by mutual consent with the clubs Director of Football, Tony O’Driscoll taking over as the new team manager before Tristan Lewis and Delroy Preddie took over for the final six games of the season.

Former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland defender Phil Babb  was appointed as the new manager in May 2013, while the clubs period in exile continued, as questions were asked about the money from the sale of Church Road.

United finished in the relegation places in 2013-14, but were reprieved following Hereford United’s expulsion from the Conference Premier. The 2014-15 campaign once again saw the team narrowly avoid the drop, as the team played their home games at the York Road home of Maidenhead United.

The building work at Beaconsfield Road had ground to a halt for some time owing to a lack of finance, before it resumed during the 2015-16 campaign while matches continued to be staged as tenants in Maidenhead.

Hayes & Yeading were relegated to the Southern League at the end of the 2015-16 season under Gary Haylock who had been reappointed as manager. Former Oxford United coach Mickey Lewis took over team affairs in the summer of 2016.

Good news came as the SkyEx Community Stadium; as the new ground was named in a sponsorship deal, was ready to stage first team football. However, the joy was short lived as Hillingdon Council revoked the safety license after a couple of home matches.

Lewis stepped down to youth team manager in October 2016; with the duo of Paul Hughes and Ritchie Hanlon being appointed a few days later. The pair had taken Kings Langley to the Southern League Premier Division for the first time at the end of the previous season.

The club decamped to play home games at Holloway Park Beaconsfield, Horton Road Uxbridge and the Silver Jubilee Park home ground of Edgware Town and Hendon. The team struggled on the pitch and were relegated at the end of the 2016-17 campaign to the second tier of the Southern League.

Following further building works the club were awarded their license to return to the SkyEx Community Stadium in August 2017. In their own home United progressed to the play-offs where they were defeated by Cambridge City in the semi-final.

The club was moved to the Isthmian League South Central Division for the 2018-19 campaign; going on to walk away with the league title and scoring over a hundred goals for the second successive season in the process. This led to promotion to the Premier Division South of the Southern League.

Hayes & Yeading United FC will play in the Southern League Premier Division South in the 2019-20 season.

My visits

Hayes & Yeading United U18’s 5 Hendon U18’s 1 (Wednesday 30^th August 2017) Isthmian Youth League West (att: 36)

The rain had fallen all day on my day off from work, thus scuppering my plans to head to The Oval for the third day of the Surrey v Middlesex County Championship game. There was no way I was going to stay in all night as well.

I’d considered a couple of matches in the Essex Senior League, until I decided to check out the Bostik League website; as the Isthmian League had been renamed to take over from Ryman as league title sponsors.

The fixture at the SkyEx Community Stadium stood out, as I hadn’t been to the ground, the game was against my adopted London non-league club and I’d get back to my local in Kingsbury in time for a few pints before closing time.

The weather was trying to clear up as I took the 183 bus to Harrow before changing to the 140. The heavy rush hour traffic slowed down the journey before I alighted at The Grapes, grabbed a McDonalds meal for tea and walked the fifteen minutes or so down Beaconsfield Road to the ground.

The light industrial estate surrounding the stadium seemed active; with a film company and a Polish food factory stood opposite an Indian school where the old Hayes End FC were once located. Indeed, the film crews occupied much of the parking around the stadium.

I’d seen both teams warming up on the 3G pitch at the back and saw a sign to inform junior teams that they were playing on the smaller pitch. Surely the game was going to be played in the main arena? I was happy to have the news confirmed as I paid my £4 admission.

The match had been advertised as a 7.30pm kick off on Twitter, yet I was the only person inside the stadium ten minutes before that designated time. I used up the time doing a lap and taking photos.

The Main Stand was a tremendous structure. Many of the seats at each end had been cordoned off. Several years of inaction meant that they were dirty from natural weather and pigeons. The rest of the ground was flat hard standing with room for small structures going forward.

It became obvious that the pitch had been moved several yards south since my visit to watch Yeading FC in action, as the old cover behind the goal was now outside the ground in a dilapidated state surrounded by cars.

The venue showed sure signs that there was still plenty of work that could be carried out to make it a really top class facility. Much of the infrastructure in the stand was incomplete. The huge room at the back with windows overlooking the pitch was an empty shell.

The young gent who had taken my money sought me out to give me a free teamsheet; which was a nice touch as other spectators began to arrive. It appeared that Hayes & Yeading’s youth set up was linked to Pro Football Academies judging by some of the leisurewear on show.

The playing surface was very large and in perfect condition. Before the teams appeared some wild bird sounds were played over the tannoy; presumably in an attempt to scare off the pigeons? If it was, then it had very little effect.

It was nice to see the club give the team and match full respect by reading the teams out over the PA as well as substitutions and goal scorers throughout the evening. The choice of music was also eclectic and very good; at least to my ears.

Just before kick off five or six Dads of the Hendon players came and sat close to me. I immediately offered sympathy to the coaches. I’ve never heard such tripe being shouted as they offered to their offspring.

They were very enthusiastic but unable to grasp that some players are better than others and that the coaches set the team up in a certain way which didn’t include getting stuck in and chase the ball everywhere it went. It was embarrassing.

The Hendon team weren’t bad and matched their hosts in the early exchanges, but United’s lads just had that bit extra; whether it was natural talent, having being together as a team for longer or being physically stronger. That’s how football works.

Harvey Killeen came close with an effort from twenty five yards before United took the lead on sixteen minutes when a long ball was cushioned down by Mustafa Ahmadi for Haaris Hussain to fire home.

Hendon came close to equalising three minutes later when George Raptis aimed in a cross, which Kaci Henry shot against the post. The ball rebounded to Dons skipper Malachy McGovern who fired over the bar.

United’s Ahmadi let loose with a fierce drive from distance which Hendon custodian Daniel Purdue tipped over via the crossbar to make a brilliant save. McGovern had another effort at the other end which was blocked by Hayes keeper Alex Ravenhill.

Efforts were exchanged at either end as the first half came to a close in an absorbing contest that I had watched from the open standing on the far side. At half time I bought a coffee for £1 from the office at the back of the stand. It really was beginning to get chilly.

Riccardo Alexander-Greenaway missed a guilt edged chance for Hendon at the start of the second period before United substitute, Josh Blaize, made a run up the wing to centre to Jay O’Connell who made it 2-0.

Montell Asare-Bediako hit the outside of the post for the visitors on sixty four minutes, while team mate Will Murphy was putting in an impressive shift. However, it would be the home side who added a further goal with fourteen minutes remaining as Purdue’s goal kick was volleyed back up the middle to find O’Connell who made no mistake.

Seconds later the score became 4-0 as Blaize was sent through. His effort was blocked by Purdue, but Killeen was on hand to score from the rebound. It was at this point that I called it a night as I headed off for the bus.

I missed Hayes & Yeading going 5-0 up as O’Connell completed his hat trick before the Dons grabbed a late consolation goal through Raptis.

I decided to take a different route to the bus but cutting between the five a side complex and the Minet Country Park which took me under the A312 duel carriageway and down some residential streets to Coldharbour Lane.

The 140 bus arrived almost immediately and I was back at Kingsbury for just gone 10.30pm to be met by Steve Barnes. It had been a decent night out at a club I was delighted to see eventually back in their home ground.

Hayes & Yeading United 5 Hendon 4 (Saturday 5^th October 2019) FA Cup Third Qualifying Round (att: 289)

There are occasions where someone will look at a high scoring match and come to the conclusion that it must have been a classic. Score lines can be misleading in those assumptions. This one certainly was.

The match would mirror my morning at work at Ruislip station. Not a lot happening and then total mayhem as I had to deal with two drunk and drugged nightmares before the police made an appearance to remove them and offer a cell for the afternoon.

The two Steve’s, Barnes and Speller had been through the station and offered assistance. I sent them packing to the Hop & Vine with the request that they came back at 2.20. My relief came to my salvation on time and we were away via an Uber cab towards Southall.

The traffic was reasonable and our driver a dab hand at finding the fastest route. We’d paid our tenner admission as the teams came out. The hosts must have been caught out by the size of the crowd as my match ticket was for a previous game against Yate Town!

The glossy programme was a further £2 as we took up a position on the flat standing behind the goal with the decent sized Hendon following; trying to work out who’d come through the revolving door to get a starting shirt and what formation would be in force.

The first half hour was lacking incident on the beautiful and massive playing surface. Hayes stopper Jack Smith made a good reflex save following a scramble at a corner, but I mentioned to my mate Lee Cousins that I thought that one goal could win it. Yeah right!

Referee Michael Begley decided that Tom Hamblin had fouled Obo Ogi in the box on thirty one minutes. It looked a soft award from our end. The former Hendon man picked himself up to score off the underside of the bar.

Hendon were still right in the game and creating some half chances with Kameron English and Francis Amartey putting in plenty of effort. Then two minutes before the break the lead was doubled when Chris Grace made a save from Omar Rowe before the ball rebounded to Joe Grant to fire home.

There was still time before the break for Hayes to make it 3-0. Clear man-of-the-match Hassan Jalloh on his first game back for the club bent a shot that hit the post beyond the beaten Grace. The ball came back and hit the keeper before ricocheting into the empty net.

It’s rare, but I was speechless. Just how the Dons were three goals behind was staggering; yet it simply followed a far too regular pattern of conceding goals out of nowhere. It’s fair to say that I wasn’t amused. Along with my duo of pals we took a seat in the stand for the second half.

Sam Corcoran was introduced for Hendon to try and make a difference. He was booked soon after his introduction before being extremely lucky not to be sent off after a “robust” challenge. We’d have complained if the boot was on the opposite foot.

There then followed a remarkable five minutes. English volleyed home a corner at the back post after Smith flapped and deflected the cross. The Dons conceded a daft free kick centrally at the other end, which Rowe sent into the bottom corner to make it 4-1.

Keeper Smith had been struggling and doing stretching exercises on the floor when play was at the other end. He saw the goal as an opportunity to go towards the bench for treatment while his mates wasted time celebrating in the corner.

Corcoran was wise to the events and as Smith didn’t leave the pitch, the ref allowed the kick-off to take place. Luca Valentine played it back to Corcoran who fired into the unguarded net from his own half to consternation among the home players and fans.

Their frustration grew when Amartey was put through by a long ball from defence, over out of position defenders who’d started squabbling with each other, to score via Smith’s legs with fifteen minutes remaining.

By now I was reminded of Hull City’s comeback from 4-1 down to win 5-4 at Orient; especially as I was sat with two O’s fans. Could I see my second such score? I certainly thought so when it became 4-4 with nine minutes to go.

An attack was broken up around the area. The ball rebounded to Amartey who smashed home to ignite wild celebrations. Shortly after Valentine was put through by sub Connor Calcutt but saw his effort hit the body of Smith before hitting the bar and bouncing to safety.

The dreams were put to sleep two minutes from the end of normal time. Tom Nyama was adjudged to have brought down Jalloh in the area; again, a seemingly soft award. The fouled player got up to put the ball past Grace’s despairing dive.

We left dejected but trying to get our heads around what we’d witnessed. Basically, an error strewn game of poor quality but plenty there to keep a neutral royally entertained. I’d had a real day of it and badly needed solace by way of alcohol.

There was never a danger on me missing out in that department with my two accompanying friends. Mr Barnes had plans in store and we weren’t to be disappointed as we headed on the bus to Hanwell.

The Dodo micropub was busy and offered some nice, if a bit strong, German type smoked beer. It was a fine way to get things underway. The beer was disappointing if not the fine décor in The Grosvenor, a ten minute walk away.

The Forester, a Fullers house was the type of pub who dream of as a local. Fantastically historic, sport on TV, a great drink selection, friendly punters and excellent background music. We stayed for a couple! I even got chatting to some happy officials of top of their table Hanwell Town.

I was reminded of my recent Nepali adventure by three restaurants offering food from that nation before we found the Owl & the Pussycat; another micropub where the ale was steady without being outstanding.

Another bus ride took us to my final port of call; the Lion and Pineapple Wetherspoon outlet in Acton. It was vibrant with good beer. Everything our local in Kingsbury had stopped being. A cab from the Kapten App took us back to base.

I’d enjoyed the day for all its ups and downs but was ready for bed. I had afternoon planned with cricket friends from far and wide the following day around north London.

Hayes & Yeading United 3 Hendon 2 (Tuesday 15th October 2019) Southern League Premier Division South (att: 179)

It was back to the SkyEx Stadium just ten days after the remarkable cup tie. Once again Hendon were to go down in a game full of missed chances and defensive frailties.

Lee Cousins kindly picked Bob and I up at Harrow-on-the-Hill to drive across to west London. We had a pleasant surprise after parking up when we bumped into former Dons boss Gary McCann along with his son and former coach Fabio Valleti.

It was lovely to catch up. Gary was absolute top drawer and supportive of Jimmy Gray and his travails in charge at SJP. It was an interesting insight as well as most encouraging as we continued once inside with a cuppa.

That was in itself a performance, as the new catering team tried to get to grips with serving a modest crowd. Apparently, the former proprietor had a major fall out and incident with a steward during the FA Cup encounter. The new team were struggling.

Out on the pitch Hendon went for the Hayes defence from the kick-off despite missing several players through injury and unavailability. After a period of pressure, the Greens took the lead when Amartey got through and slotted past Smith.

The same striker then hit the foot of the post with the ball rolling agonisingly along the line before the keeper clawed it away. Debutant Obinna Ogbonna put the ball in the home net but was correctly adjudged to have used his hand.

Amartey saw a shot come back off the underside of the bar from close range, before the hosts drew level on thirty-eight minutes. Omar Rowe was afforded too much room to fire in a shot from just outside the box that took a deflection to leave Chris Grace stranded in the visitor’s net.

A weak Liam McDevitt back pass was pounced on by Amartey whose effort got the slightest of deflections off Smith’s heel to divert it just wide of the post. We adjourned for a pint in the brightly painted bar under the stand at the break in a state of frustration.

Tom Nyama came on as substitute for Hendon during the break as Hayes went ahead just three minutes later when the talented Hassan Jalloh fired in an effort that received another deflection off a defender on its way into the net.

United took control of the game in midfield and had the majority of possession without creating too many clear cut chances. Hendon were far too open and didn’t treasure possession of the ball nearly enough.

With around fifteen minutes left on the clock Nyama made a lazy challenge on Ogo Obi in the box. The ref had no hesitation in pointing to the spot; from where the fouled player picked himself up to score.

The home side had an annoying habit of taking as much time out of a game after a goal and they were at it again. Dons boss Gray was incandescent with rage as he immediately replaced Nyama with the veteran Scott McGleish.

McGleish’s presence changed the attitude of the Hendon players. Suddenly they looked hungry as the Hayes defence and the referee knew that there were two teams competing. Hendon were hungry and went on the offensive.

Amartey went on a superb run past several defenders before pegging the score back to 3-2 with a couple of minutes of normal time remaining. The home team did everything they could to waste time as they just about held on.

We headed back across town frustrated but not totally deflated. It had been a good performance in patches, but the openness was exposed again. There was time for me to enjoy some beer back in Kingsbury.