Hayes, age 34 has made nearly 540 professional appearances with a large percentage of that at Scunthorpe United where Iron supporters last year voted him, along with Gary Hooper, as their best ever striking partnership .

Morsley had an aim to bring in a player that could add something to our young but exciting squad and he feels that Hayes fits the bill perfectly. “Paul is obviously at a crossroads in his football career but once I spoke to him about the club and my ambition, as well as the type of players we have and style of play we aim to employ he was sold on the journey. He has an impressive CV and is really looking forward to this new chapter in his career”.

Our Secretary David Webb is working through the process of gaining international clearance for Hayes as he played for Newport County last season. This is complicated by the Transfer window that shuts today so it is unlikely he will be able to figure in the Bostik North Division curtain raiser at Tilbury on Saturday.

All at AFC welcome Paul as we look forward to him creating more history for us.