Johnny Haynes

Lore & Background

Haynes was born in Kentish Town and supported Arsenal as a boy. He signed for Fulham as a 15-year-old amateur in 1950 and was loaned to non-League Wimbledon. He made his senior debut aged 18 on Boxing Day 1952 against Southampton. He made his England debut in October 1954, scoring in a 2–0 victory over Northern Ireland. He first captained England in 1960 and played in two World Cups. He was one of many signatories of a letter to The Times on 17 July 1958 opposing apartheid in international sport. He played in FA Cup semi-finals in 1958 and 1962, both lost in replays. In August 1962, a car accident on Blackpool promenade broke bones in both feet and injured his knee, ending his England career. He missed almost the entire season and was never the same player. Fulham were relegated in 1968; Haynes managed the club for eighteen days in November 1968. His last Fulham appearance was on 17 January 1970. He retired in 1970, joined Durban City, and won the 1970–71 National Football League. He made three league appearances for Wealdstone in the 1972–73 season.

In Their Own Story

The November air at Goodison Park hung low and wet, the kind of evening that made the floodlights look like they were burning through fog. The ball dropped to Haynes on the left, two yards of space between him and the full-back who had been tracking him all match. He did not look up. He did not need to. One touch, then another, and the full-back was already a smudge in the distance, his boots scraping the turf in a desperate, futile chase. The crowd noise swelled from a murmur to a roar, not because Haynes was scoring, but because for three or four heartbeats, the whole ground had felt the electricity of a man outrunning the game itself. He cut inside, laid the ball to his teammate, and jogged back to his mark as if he had merely taken a short walk. The full-back was still on the ground.

Reader's Guide

Haynes played as an inside forward for Fulham from 1950 to 1970, making 657 appearances and scoring 157 goals. He also played for Toronto City (1961), Durban City (1970–71), and Wealdstone (1972–73). He never played for Everton or West Bromwich Albion.

Did You Know?

• Haynes was the first footballer in Britain to earn £100 per week after the abolition of the £20 maximum wage in 1961.
• He captained England 22 times and was expected to lead them in the 1966 World Cup before a car accident in 1962 ended his international career.
• His only senior winner's medal came with Durban City in the 1970–71 South African National Football League.
• He was an inaugural inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002.