Born: Edmonton, 17 October 1934
Died: Edinburgh, 18 October 2005
Position: Inside forward; midfielder
International caps: 56
International goals: 18
Signed: 1 July 1950
Fulham debut: Fulham 1-1 Southampton, 26 December 1952
Fulham appearances: 594
Fulham goals: 147
Sold: 1 June 1970 (retired)
Johnny Haynes was quite simply Fulham’s finest ever footballer. Blessed with an outstanding football brain, the ability to play beautiful passes and score superb goals, he was a fixture in the club’s midfield from his debut on Boxing Day 1952 until the end of the 1969-70 season when he retired and headed for South Africa. He followed his best friend Tosh Chamberlain to Fulham as a schoolboy in 1950 despite having received offers from Tottenham and Arsenal – and never left Craven Cottage despite becoming England captain and winning 56 caps for his country, playing in two World Cups.
Haynes scored eighteen goals in his first full first-team season and then bettered that with nineteen in 1955-56 but his most productive campaign came as the Whites won promotion back to the top flight in 1958/59 when he scored 26 times in just 38 games. He never won the trophies his talent deserved, reaching two FA Cup semi-finals when Fulham were famously beaten by the Busby Babes in 1958 and four years later by Burnley.
He was a trailblazer, becoming the first footballer to be paid £100 a week, and was one of English football’s brightest talents until he was involved in a car crash in Blackpool in 1962. He lost some of his pace but none of his spirit and returned to play for Fulham again in 1963. He continued to represent the Whites despite Fulham suffering back to back relegations and was briefly the club’s caretaker manager, but had no interest in coaching. Haynes and his wife Avril lived happily in Edinburgh until he died in a car crash the day after his 71st birthday. Fittingly, the Stevenage Road stand was renamed in his honour shortly afterwards.
