an interview with utility player matt hayfield
3 October 1998: Martin Baker (aka Badger) conducted this interview with Matt Hayfield after the away league win at Hereford United.
An edited verson appeared in the match programme for the home league game against Cheltenham Town, 10th October 1998. |
An excellent result today at Hereford, how many fingernails did you lose?!
No fingernails actually, but it just proves that when all eleven players are out there and supporting each other and giving everything, then anything is achievable. It gives us a lot to look forward to for the future.
We were down to the team selecting itself today, we did have a 19 man squad, but is it difficult to achieve things when you are down to your bare bones?
It can be difficult, but I think Colin Lippiatt is looking to bring in quality players into the squad, and it showed today that although we were down to our bare bones, we’ve still gone out there and whoever has played has done a great job for the club and staked a claim for a regular position which is good for the team. We want people challenging for places, because it keeps us all on our toes. A young lad (Damien Franklin) came on as centre-forward today and played ever so well considering he was up there on his own, which has got to be good for the future.
You came on loan to us last season. Did you ever meet Colin Lippiatt, or had you already gone back to Rovers by then?
I’d already left by the time Colin had arrived. I knew that Yeovil had offered Bristol Rovers some money for me, but at that time there was no deal possible in the pipeline, so I went back to Rovers, and I played in nearly every game after I got back.
So how did you get back in touch with the club?
I got given a free transfer within a few weeks of the new season starting, in late July, and ever since then John Fry and Colin have been in contact with me. I was having trials at other clubs but in the end I decided to settle down in Yeovil.
You had a couple of games in Shrewsbury?
I was in the first team at Shrewsbury and I’d played a couple of games. It seemed virtually sorted out and I was signing, but then the manager turned round and said the chairman couldn’t afford to pay my wages, so it was back to square one again, so I got back in contact with Yeovil.
Shrewsbury are not having a very good season. What’s the kind of standard like at the foot of the Third Division. Is it comparable with the Conference?
I think you can say that whoever goes up from the Conference always does exceedingly well, and I think the top six teams in the Conference are just as good as most of the teams in the Third Division. When you go down there’s a little bit of a difference, but the bottom of the Third Division and the top half of the Conference is no difference whatsoever. The slight difference between the two divisions is fitness, but that’s easy to bridge if you are training full time.
Do you think Shrewsbury are in trouble and that we could be playing them next season, or is it more likely to be the predictable choice of Hull or Brighton?
Since I’ve left Shrewsbury have slipped into real trouble. We might not play them next year though, because we wouldn’t rule out us going up and them going down, so we could end up missing them!
A good point!
You never know do you ? The way we are playing, if we could fix this form at home, there’s not too many teams that are going to beat us if we play like we did today.
How many of the current squad are left from when you were last with Yeovil?
Probably only six or seven. Kevan Brown definitely wasn’t here and neither were the full-backs. It’s just the way football is though. You change to a different manager and new players come in. There’s still a good spirit here though, that’s one of the key things I’ve always found here. That’s what helps on the pitch. The attitude was “we’re not going to lose today. No way!”. We were going to concede over our dead bodies, and the defence was brilliant, the midfield were winning all their tackles whilst the lads up front were hitting them on the break.
One of the unusual things that Hereford do is to read out the away attendance which was 292. Was it quite noisy with us all underneath that roof?
On the right hand side in the second half, they were great, the fans were singing, but that’s Yeovil Town for you. They get more away support than some second division clubs often get. It just shows what a big club it is, and that if we did go up, we could hold our own easily as we’d continue getting bigger crowds again.
During the last 20 minutes when the legs are starting to go a bit does that help?
Yes, because you know it means a lot for those people for you to keep going. It means a lot to the players, but we know those people pay their money every week, and because we kept going they’re going to have a good Saturday night now. If we had gone down 3 or 4 to nil they’d be going home down in the dumps, but now I’m sure they’re as pleased as punch just as all the players are.
What’s your position with Yeovil ? The press reported you as on a month contract, has anything further been offered now?
That month-to-month contract has turned out to be a big hoax. It’s never been on the cards at all. I’ll be speaking to John Fry on Monday and all being well, I’ll hopefully be signing a two year contract on Monday, which should get that issue sorted out.
I think people also thought you were still on loan from Bristol Rovers.
I don’t know why as that was never the case. I don’t know why the press picked up on that talk but hopefully I’ll be able to kill all that with a two year deal on Monday.
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