Preview - By Fin Keens
Tiverton’s second game of the season and first away game see’s the yellows travel up the M5 and M4 to take on Hayes and Yeading United. Life under Martyn Rogers at the helm has started well for Tiverton as on Saturday they welcomed newly promoted Basingstoke Town to the Ian Moorcroft Stadium. A 2-2 draw with the stokes thanks to goals from Dylan Jones and River Allen saw the yellows start the league in 9th place. Basingstoke’s lads gave Tiverton a great runout and set the tone for what is to come for the rest of the season in the sense of the quality of the league and the competitive level. Their fans also didn’t disappoint in that category either, a top effort by the B’stoke fans that travelled down to Devon last weekend.
Back to the game at hand and we Travel to Hayes and Yeading for our first away game this season. A club in which in previous years Tiverton have struggled against but I think we’ll save the last away scoreline and leave that one out (it wasn’t a pretty sight that Monday night) Hayes & Yeading United Football Club is an association football club based in Hayes, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The club was formed in 2007 from a merger of Hayes Football Club (founded in 1909) and Yeading Football Club (founded in 1960). They play their games at the Skyex community stadium which is a one sided ground with a huge grandstand which if you’ve watched the Apple TV series Ted Lasso, you may recognise it. Yes that’s right Hayes and Yeading’s stadium is used as the training base in Ted Lasso and is used frequently in shots and I presume the directors used it due to the plainness of the ground and also the fact it looks like a prem training ground too.
Being literally only 364 days younger than me this football club (I’m not joking), they don’t have much history to talk about in their new form but they’ve floated about the National League South and Conference at the start of their time as a football club due to the merger seeing Hayes place in non league being continued. The club also decided back in 2011 to go fully professional as they felt comfortable that they’d sustain in non league and eventually slip into the English Football League. They did get relegated in 2014 but due to Hereford United’s expulsion from the leagues they got a reprieve alongside Chester. Then in 2016 they dropped back down into the Southern League and then even further into the East Division for a couple of years and once again switched into the Isthmian league to keep the numbers up in their respective divisions. Then in the last few years they’ve floated around the Southern Premier League and this is where they are today.
Hayes and Yeading’s summer signings include Left Winger Omar Rowe who has experience within the National League South with Farnborough and has played abroad in Cyprus for the likes of APOEL. he’ll certainly give attacking threat for Hayes this season. Other signings for Hayes and Yeading include Sam Ashton from Southern League Salisbury, Ben Shroll from National League Aldershot, Lene Burdon from Bristol Rovers and Mo Bettamer from Chelmsford on loan. However going in the other direction is talented centre attacking mid Reece Cole who has earned a huge move to a team everyone knows around these parts in Exeter City. Reece already has played against Tiverton this season for the Grecians in the 1-0 pre season friendly.
Head to Head I’m getting a sense that Tivvy purely might love a 0-0 draw with Hayes & Yeading, that’s for sure. Just pretend also that the away game last season doesn’t exist too. Never got played. 20/04/23 - Tiverton 0-0 H&Y 26/03/22 - H&Y 2-3 Tiverton 20/11/21 - Tiverton 0-0 H&Y 04/01/20 - H&Y 0-0 Tiverton 10/08/19 - Tiverton 2-2 H&Y
How to Get to Hayes and Yeading from Tiverton
By Public Transport: Board the train at Tiverton Parkway and head towards Reading where you exit to join up with a train to Maidenhead on the new Elizabeth Line. From there go to Hayes & Harlington station which you can board a bus to get to Hayes and Yeading’s ground but unless you’re a local with an Oyster card you might struggle to get on.
By Car: From The Ian Moorcroft Stadium head towards the A361 and join up with the M5 where you’ll continue up the country towards Bristol until you get to what I refer to as brizzle spaghetti junction where you head onto the M4 going all the way towards London. Take the exit onto the A312 which’ll be called the Parkway and at the roundabout take a third exit. Head down the A420 for a small bit, take another right and head down Springfield road where you’ll need to take another left a short way down and you’re pretty much there.
Hayes & Yeading’s Social Media’s
Instagram: hyufc_official
Twitter: HYUFC_Official
Facebook: Hayes and Yeading FC
#Yellowblackarmy 🟡⚫️
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