The name of Herbert Pacey will not be familiar to most people reading this column, but he was the club’s first former professional and the only player of his time who did not come from Hayes. He was born at Sandiacre in Nottinghamshire in 1890 and turned professional with Notts County, making three appearances for the Magpies in 1910-11 at left-half. He later signed for the nascent Chelsea, but did not play for the first team. He joined Botwell Mission in August 1919, but played in only two friendly matches during that season, possibly because there was doubt about his eligibility to play for an amateur club, having already been a professional. However, next season he was ever-present at centre-half for the Mission in the Great Western Suburban League, which allowed permit players, although he was not allowed to play in Amateur Cup matches – in fact, he ran the line in the Mission’s cup-tie with Uxbridge. Because of his experience, he was an inspiration to the rest of the team and was made captain as the club gained the league and Middlesex Senior Cup double (the photograph aside shows him at the start of the Charity Cup final against Hampstead Town at Brentford in 1922).  A pen picture of the time calls him ‘cool, calm and calculating’. All in all, he led the Mission to three league championships, one Senior Cup win, one outright Charity Cup win, and a further two occasions on which Hayes and Southall shared the Charity Cup after a drawn final. However, it was a sad day for Pacey when Botwell Mission was accepted into the Spartan League in 1924, as that league did not allow former professionals, so it was with a heavy heart that he joined Hanwell, although he was frequently to be seen at Church Road and turned out for the reserves. During his four seasons he made over 123 appearances and scored at least 17 goals. He lived at Kenton Avenue in Southall and worked as a foreman at the Gramophone factory. He died at Harefield Hospital  in March 1943 at the young age of 53.

Don Packham was a right-back, who joined Hayes from Wealdstone (in 1whose colours he is depicted below) in 1957 as a replacement for the departing Ian McKinlay, having previously played for Uxbridge for two seasons and having had a trial with Southampton while doing his National Service in the REME. But he soon lost his place to Vic Watson and had to be satisfied with occasional games. The following season he was a stand-in for Ray Dowse at left-back. In the two seasons he made 38 appearances, and it came as no surprise when he left to join Redhill, where he was appointed captain from 1960 to 1962. He later played for Chalfont St Peter.

Born at Evesham, Steve Palfrey joined Hayes at the start of the 1974-5 season; like Don Packham, he was a full-back and was aged 22. He had previously spent three years at Loughborough Colleges and played for English Universities in the same side as another Hayes player, Graham Cracknell. An all-round sportsman, playing cricket, squash and hockey, as well as football, he was a dead-ball specialist. He played for just over a season for Hayes, making 62+5 appearances and scoring three goals. He left by mutual consent in October 1975 and joined Wokingham Town. Steve is currently Assistant Head Teacher at the Beaconsfield School (2006) and still keeping a watchful eye on the Missioners results.

Staforde Palmer was a player who having been a prolific goalscorer at youth level continued his form into the reserve side and forced his way into the first team at the age of 18, making his debut in November 2006 at Braintree Town. After a handful of appearances from the bench, he made his first start in January 2007 and took just 10 minutes to hit the back of the net. He also continued to play for England Colleges during the season, which included a tour of South Korea. For the Missioners he made 13+9 appearances, scoring 5 times.

Steve Parsons, who started with Walton & Hersham, had been a full-time professional with Orient (36 appearances, 6 goals) and Wimbledon (94 appearances, 13 goals) where he twice suffered a badly broken leg. Unable to continue at that level, he dropped down to Hendon and joined Hayes in January 1984 at the age of 26. He was 6ft. tall and could play both in the forward line and midfield. He made 59 appearances for Hayes, scoring 13 goals, and was selected for an FA XI, before he was released by George Goode in July 1985. He went to Wembley, but was soon back at Hendon. In the summer of 1987 he played in the US, but then returned to Hendon and finally signed for Leytonstone Ilford in October 1987.

In the first post-war season of 1945-6, the outside-left position remained a problem until towards the end of the campaign, when George Patterson came along. George packed a hard shot and scored regularly. In fact, in 86 appearances over a 5-year span, he scored 28 goals. He left Hayes for Hounslow in 1948 and played against his old club in the 1950 final of the Middlesex Senior Cup. He made a few more appearances for Hayes at the end of the 1950-1 season. He is remembered at Church Road for the handkerchief which he wore, tucked into the top of his shorts, and his proclivity for taking a draw on a spectator’s cigarette when there was a lull in play.

Hopes that George’s brother, the delightfully named Les Patterson, also an outside-left, might emulate him, when he joined Hayes in 1952, proved futile. Les played only in the opening game of the season, which Hayes lost 5-2 to Leyton, and although he scored one of the goals, he did not play again.

Finally, the diminutive Derek Payne was a bundle of energy and pace, who joined Hayes in the summer of 1987 from Burnham & Hillingdon, having started with Northwood. He soon gained representative honours, being selected for Middlesex, the Isthmian League and an FA XI. Having sampled early success in the FA Cup, it was clear that Derek was keen to join the professional ranks, and he was transferred for an undisclosed fee to Barnet in December 1988, immediately Hayes’ interest in the competition was at an end. He had made a total of 92+1 appearances and scored 11 goals. He later played for Cheltenham, Wealdstone, Enfield, Heybridge Swifts, Southend, Watford, Peterborough United, Dagenham, Harrow Borough and Egham.