The career of a footballer can be a rollercoaster at times, no matter whether it is in the Premier League or in the 11th tier of the English game.
Barry Hayles embarked on his senior career at the start of the 1993/94 season - almost 30 years ago - but the forward has no intentions of stopping just yet. He began his playing days at non-league Stevenage and worked his way through the divisions to shine in the Premier League for Fulham, before also representing Leicester and Sheffield United.
Having turned 50 in May, Hayles is still going at his 14th different club across a career that has seen him score over 300 goals and double digits at the highest level. It has been a remarkable journey for the former Jamaica forward - one which actually began as a right-back at Stevenage.
In an interview with the Daily Star, Hayles said: "I went to Stevenage as a right-back and the manager said he needed a striker. I scored in that game and that was it. I was happy as a defender, I thought that was my best position but apparently not. Some of my old team-mates still say I was better at the back but there we go."
After impressing at Stevenage, Hayles earned himself a move to Bristol Rovers, where he went onto shine for the League Two outfit, topping the fourth-division scoring charts with an impressive 23 goals. Hayles' career continued to move in an upward curve when he joined Fulham in a deal worth around £2million in 1998.
Hayles made over 200 appearances during his spell with the west Londoners, scoring 44 league goals and helping them to two promotions from the third tier up to the Premier League. He is renowned as a cult hero at Craven Cottage, with Hayles netting 13 goals in the top flight after leading them to the promised land.
Having also won the UEFA Intertoto Cup during his time at the Whites, Hayles has fond memories of his journey from Bristol Rovers to Fulham, although it could've turned out a whole lot different. Local rivals Bristol City had put in the same bid for the striker, but he didn't want to move across the town.
Hayles, who was born in Lambeth, added: "Bristol City had put in a £2m bid in that was accepted by the club but I turned it down. I couldn't go there. I took the gamble and stayed but when Fulham came, it was a perfect fit to go back to London.
"[Then-owner Mohamed] Al Fayed had come in and he brought players from higher leagues to Fulham and he completely changed the ethos of the club. At the same time there was youngsters like Sean Davis coming through, so it was a great mix.
"[Kevin] Keegan signed me, so that was a buzz. When I came in, he made me feel like I was one of the best players in the world and it all clicked from there. The players we had as well as a great social group, it all blended on and off the pitch. It was a perfect fit."
Hayles played with Louis Saha, who later represented Manchester United, in his time at Fulham, with the pair striking up a formidable partnership. When the Whites won promotion to the Premier League, they won 30 of their 46 league matches and secured 101 points, with Hayles and Luis Boa Morte each scoring 18 times and Saha netting 27.
Hayles added: "He (Saha) was by far the best player I played with. He had it all. In training, I used to tell him to tone it down to give the lads a bit of confidence. He was that good."
Hayles' game time was limited in the 2003/04 season, which led to him moving to Championship outfit Sheffield United. However, he didn't see eye-to-eye with Neil Warnock and then had brief stints at Millwall, Plymouth Argyle, Leicester and Cheltenham before initially hanging up his boots.
He continued: "I retired after leaving Cheltenham and then I got a phone call. A had an old team-mate at Truro City and he asked if I wanted to go and play for them. I met the chairman and he asked for me to come on board and I scored 20 goals that season."
The ex-Jamaica striker decided to continue on playing in non-league with the likes of St Albans City and Chesham United. 12 years later, he is still going. In the summer, Windsor, who play in the Combined Counties League Premier Division North, confirmed that Hayles would be returning to the club.
Hayles, who also represents England's over-50s, has no plans to call time on his playing career despite his Windsor role primarily being a coaching position. He has played nine times for the Step 6 team this season, scoring once.
