Hayes was born in
Kearsley, near
Bolton,
Lancashire in 1936, and worked in a cotton mill and a coal mine prior to becoming a footballer. In August 1953 he had a trial with Manchester City, and made his debut two months later against
Tottenham. The teenage Hayes appeared in the
1955 FA Cup final, but finished on the losing side. 12 months later Manchester City reached the
final again, and Hayes scored the first goal in a 3–1 win. Hayes was a regular goalscorer in the late 1950s and early 1960s, until a knee injury occurring in September 1963 had a noticeable effect on his abilities, after which first team opportunities became limited. He was transferred to
Barnsley in the 1965 close season, and later went on to play for
Wigan Athletic, appearing 32 times and scoring seven goals for the club. In total, Hayes scored 152 goals in 363 appearances for Manchester City, making him the fifth highest Manchester City goalscorer of all time. == Personal life ==