Austin William Patrick Hayes (15 July 1958 – 3 December 1986) was an English-born professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

of Irish descent who played as a

left winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

. He was a member of the

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

team that were runners-up in the 1979 League Cup final. Hayes played once as a full international for the Republic of Ireland national team in 1979.

Early life

Hayes was born in

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...

, London, to Irish parents in 1958 and was raised in

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district in West London, split between the London Borough of Hounslow, London Boroughs of Hounslow and London Borough of Ealing, Ealing. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist Wi ...

Club career

Hayes began his professional career as a

in 1976. He scored twice on his debut in a

European Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...

tie at home to Carrick Rangers on 3 November 1976. Shortly after turning 19-years-old, he was sent on loan to American club

Los Angeles Aztecs The Los Angeles Aztecs were an American professional soccer team based in Los Angeles, California, that existed from 1974 to 1981. The Aztecs competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1974 North American Soccer League season, 1974 ...

. He played in the 1979 League Cup final but Southampton lost to

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...

. Hayes was never able to cement a regular first-team place, with players of the calibre of

Kevin Keegan Joseph Kevin Keegan (born 14 February 1951) is an English former footballer and manager. Nicknamed "King Kev" or "Mighty Mouse", Keegan was recognised for his dribbling ability, as well as his finishing and presence in the air, and is regard ...

, Charlie George and

Phil Boyer Philip John Boyer (born 25 January 1949) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played for various clubs throughout his career and came through the academy at Derby County, leaving for York City in 1968 witho ...

also in the Saints squad. His last appearance for Southampton came on 3 May 1980 against

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

and he was transferred to

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...

for £50,000 in February 1981, later turning out for

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...

and then for Barnet in the Gola League. His last club was Swedish side Friska Viljor.

International career

He made his solitary appearance for

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

in a 2–0 victory over

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

Lansdowne Road Lansdowne Road Stadium (, ) was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that was primarily used for rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for the Aviva Stadium on ...

on 2 May 1979.

Death

In December 1986, Austin Hayes died at the age of 28 from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

after contracting pneumonia, just three weeks after the illness was diagnosed. Earlier that year he had spent a short time playing in Sweden and had recently returned to England when he became ill.

Honours

Southampton * League Cup runners-up: 1978–79

References

External links

Republic of Ireland profile''Austin Hayes in 'Soccer Players' file at Limerick City Library, Ireland''NASL Record
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes, Austin 1958 births 1986 deaths Men's association football wingers Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Southampton F.C. players Millwall F.C. players Footballers from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham People from Hammersmith Deaths from lung cancer in England Republic of Ireland men's international footballers Republic of Ireland men's under-21 international footballers Northampton Town F.C. players Barnet F.C. players Los Angeles Aztecs players English Football League players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players 20th-century Irish sportsmen