Barry Hayles meeting up with Cathy Shipton, Chris and Tallulah Guard, who sponsored his kit during his Fulham days

The brilliant Barry Hayles turns 53 today.

The barrel-chested Fulham forward, who began his career as a full back at Willesden Hawkeye before being pushed up front by Stevenage manager Paul Fairclough when he was about to be banned, took a while to get going at Craven Cottage having been signed by Kevin Keegan from Bristol Rovers – where he scored 36 goals in 76 games – for £2m in 1999.

Hayles always had his credentials for playing at a higher level questioned throughout a remarkably successful career. The big price tag weighed heavily on the striker’s shoulders for a while, but his first Fulham goal knocked Southampton out of the FA Cup as he buried a rebound in front of a packed Hammersmith End and the rest was history. He scored nine times as Keegan’s side romped to the Second Division title and reached the FA Cup fifth round before finding playing time difficult under Paul Bracewell after Keegan went back on his word and took the England job.

Hayles was, like so many of Fulham’s old stagers, reborn when he worked under Jean Tigana, Roger Propos and Christian Damiano. As part of a fabulous front three that included Louis Saha and Luis Boa Morte, he scored nineteen goals in 39 games as the Whites claimed the First Division title and famously set up Sean Davis’ Championship-clinching equaliser at Sheffield Wednesday before limping around during the celebrations having been badly injured.

As Saha struggled to replicate his form a division higher, Hayles became Fulham’s most reliable top flight forward. He found the net 12 times in 43 appearances during his first Premiership campaign, scoring the Whites’ first top-flight goal at Craven Cottage in 33 years as Tigana’s team beat Sunderland, and firing home the equaliser as Fulham fought for a share of the spoils in the SW6 derby. Barry’s goals were also crucial in helping the Whites reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup, where they were narrowly beaten by the Blues at Villa Park.

Hayles helped Tigana’s team lift the Intertoto Cup the following summer and qualify for the UEFA Cup, where he scored important goals against Dinamo Zagreb as the Whites went all the way to the third round before being eliminated on away goals by Hertha Berlin. Fulham remain the only English side undefeated at home in European competition and Hayles helped Fulham establish themselves as a top flight force, especially after Chris Coleman took the reigns from Tigana in the spring of 2003 with relegation a distinct possibility.

He became a bit-part player in his last two years at the Cottage, but still had plenty to give – as evidenced by the fact that the Jamaican international played he was 51, racking up 1,167 senior appearances and scoring 384 goals. His 55 goals in 215 games for the Whites made him a Cottage cult hero, with that status only enhanced by his penchant for turning up announced in the Hammersmith End to watch matches amongst the fans who cheered him on.

Barry memorably popped into the Chancellors regularly after being invited by the late Bella McCluskey, mingling with the fans. One of my favourite memories – aside from the day that the boyhood Spurs fans ended Glenn Hoddle’s tenure at White Hart Lane with a brilliant brace – came when we celebrated Marco Silva’s success in getting the Whites back into the Premier League at the first time of asking having been sat on the row of the press box for that unforgettable 7-0 win over Luton Town in May 2022.

Every Fulham fan has a brilliant Barry Hayles story, including my one-time neighbour in Acton – Chris Guard – who sponsored his kit for several years during his time at the Cottage and Harry, a regular in the Riverside, who recalls bumping into Barry at Wembley as part of the White Wall. Harry was nervous about whether the Whites would deal with the pressure against Aston Villa and Barry flashed him that beaming smile and confidently predicted a 2-1 win. The scoreline might not have been correct, but Barry’s football analysis has always been accurate.

We’d like to wish Barry the happiest of birthdays – and encourage our readers to share their favourite memories of the formidable forward in the comments section. Oh, Barry Hayles, Barry, Barry, Hayles – thanks for everything, boss!