One of Non-League's newest clubs await United this weekend, when Martin Ling's side make the trip to Hayes & Yeading.
Formed in 2007 following a merger between (surprise surprise) Hayes FC and Yeading FC, the new club have confounded experts by achieving promotion from the Conference South in only their second season in existence.
The architect of that success is boss Garry Haylock, who took over the combined side following a year managing Yeading FC. The 38-year old was a prolific striker in the Irish league for clubs such as Shelbourne and Portadown, and has taken to management like a duck to water.
He is aware that this season will be tough for his side, who attract the lowest gates in the division, but believes survival is still a realistic prospect.
Speaking to the Uxbridge Gazette in the wake of last Saturday's 4-0 drubbing at Stevenage, Haylock said: "Our intention is still mid-table safety, and five wins will get us there. It's still too early to be looking at the table and panicking.
"But I'm not going to get into setting points targets, or saying it's more important to beat the teams down there with us than the likes of Stevenage. They have four times our budget, so you have to be at your best to get anything out of these teams, which we weren't. But their best and our best isn't a million miles apart," he said.
Hayes & Yeading United Football Club was created when the two clubs' respective Chairmen, Derek Goodall and Phillip Spurden, agreed that the only way either club could continue, long term, would be to join forces as a single entity. It wasn't a decision which was popular with supporters, as prior to joining forces, both clubs had enjoyed some success in their own rights.
Hayes, known as the Missioners, had enjoyed six seasons in Non-League's top flight, finishing third on one occasion before returning to the Conference South. Former U's assistant boss Willy Wordsworth (above) was one of the club's last managers, taking charge between 2002 - 2007.
Yeading never made it to the national division, but enjoyed success in the 90's and early 00's in the Isthmian Premier and latterly the Conference South. Under the guidance of Johnson Hippolyte, they came to prominence in 2005 when they drew Newcastle United in the third round of the FA Cup. Although they lost 3-0, the televised match raised the club's profile significantly.
After the merger, Hayes & Yeading spent one season consolidating under Haylock, before last season making a surprise promotion push, matching big-spending rivals such as AFC Wimbledon and Chelmsford City.
A late season record run of ten consecutive victories earned them a play off place, but their hopes of promotion looked dead and buried when semi-final opponents Eastleigh raced into a 4-0 first leg lead. However, two late goals in the first leg gave them hope, and an astonishing 4-0 second leg victory put them into the final, where they faced Hampton and Richmond. The Beavers are very much the Cambridge United of the Conference South - serial play-off failures - and so it proved again, as Haylock's side triumphed 3-2 thanks to a brace from midfielder Stephen Gregory.
But the departure of several key players, including Gregory, top scorer Josh Scott, and tricky midfielder Will Hendry, meant this season was always going to be a very different proposition.
The Squad
Despite the departures, Haylock wasn't given much cash to spend in the summer, and his part-time squad is not over-blessed with experienced players.
Goalkeeper Simon Overland has played at a higher level, with the former Millwall youngster having served as Tony Roberts' understudy at Dagenham and Redbridge.
At right back, Danny Allen-Page made one appearance for Brentford before descending into non-league with Farnborough, while left flanker Adam Green started out at Fulham before ending up at Hayes via a spell with Grays. Skipper Tom Cadmore, a former Wycombe trainee, usually partners Sammy El-Abd in defence, although ex-Woking man Matt Ruby could also be in contention.
Much like our own Martin Ling, Haylock is having to rely quite a lot on youth this season, and young players Toby Little, a left back cum winger, and James Mulley, a central midfielder, have cemented places in the side recently. Alongside Mulley, Marc Canham has been a mainstay of the side since signing from the now defunct Team Bath, while ex-Cambridge City man Dale Binns provides pace and trickery on the wing.
Scoring goals has been a problem for Hayes this season, and they have found the net just 14 times in 15 league games. They will be hoping Sean Canham, a loan capture from Notts County, can reproduce the prolific form he showed while with Team Bath. Indeed, he is top scorer at the moment with four.
His usual partner has been George Daly, who is on loan from Wycombe Wanderers, although other options include the experienced Scott Fitzgerald and new signing Franck Padovani, a new signing with experience in the French league.
One familiar name in the squad for U's fans is that of Abdou El-Kholti, who was one of many players to turn out for United in the 2004/05 relegation season. He has since been doing a tour of non-league clubs, stopping off at Woking and Grays before pitching up at Hayes last season.
This season
Scoring more goals will be key to Hayes' survival hopes, as so far their defence hasn't been too bad. An opening day 1-0 defeat at Kidderminster set the tone for what was to come, although their first home game in the Conference, against Stevenage, produced a 1-1 draw.
A pair of 2-1 defeats, to Altrincham and Rushden, were recorded before they picked up their next point - a late Richard Pacquette goal salvaging a draw for York after George Daly had given Hayes the lead from the spot.
But the Hayes faithful didn't have long to wait for their first win, as seven days later a stoppage time strike from Toby Little gave them a 2-1 victory at Ebbsfleet. Subsequent draws with Tamworth and Forest Green meant they appeared set to climb the table, but since the Tamworth stalemate they have only picked up one point from a possible 18, a 0-0 with crisis club Chester City.
Defeats to Mansfield and Kettering preceded last Saturday's 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Stevenage, which saw Borough striker Charlie Griffin hit a hatrick, and Matthew Bostwick complete the scoring late on. In fact, Hayes have conceded a lot of goals in the closing stages of games, suggesting perhaps that fitness may be a concern for Haylock as he attempts to steer his charges away from the foot of the table.
Matt Gooding
Make Your Click Count For The U's - talk about it on the Message Board!
The views expressed on this page are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cambridge United Football Club or the webmaster.
AT091016
