Will Hayhurst

William Hayhurst (born 24 February 1994) is an English-Irish professional footballer who plays as a winger, who currently plays for Curzon Ashton.

Hayhurst was born in Longridge on 24 February 1994, and grew up supporting Preston North End.

He played for Longridge Town before joining Preston North End U14.

There, Hayhurst started his career in the youth system at Preston, and while in the club's academy, Hayhurst suffered an injuries setback, which he broke both of his leg.

Hayhurst initially thought that injuries could have cost him getting a professional contract.

Eventually, Hayhurst signed a two-year apprenticeship in the summer of 2010.

At the end of the 2011–12 season, he made two appearances in all competitions.

On 28 April 2012, Hayhurst made his professional debut in a 2–2 draw with Charlton Athletic, coming on as a late substitute for David Gray.

His second appearance for Preston North End came in the last game of the season against Bournemouth, starting a match and played 36 minutes before suffering an injury and was substituted, as the club lost 1–0.

At the start of the 2012–13 season, Hayhurst made his first appearance of the season against Crystal Palace in the second round of the League Cup.

He then found himself in and out of the first team throughout the first half of the season.

In a match against Yeovil Town on 29 September 2012, Hayhurt set up Preston North End's first goal of the game, in a 3–2 win.

Following this, Hayhurst received a handful appearance in the first team for the rest of the 2012–13 season.

At the end of the 2012–13 season, he made twenty–five appearances and scoring once in all competitions.

On 23 February 2013, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 1–1 draw against Swindon Town.

This was followed up by scoring in a 1–1 draw away to Milton Keynes Dons on 2 March 2013 and a 2–0 win over Stevenage on 9 March 2013, to make it three goals in three appearances for Hayhurst.

He later had his fourth goal for the club on 9 April 2013, in a 2–0 win over Oldham Athletic.

On 18 April 2013, the club activated their options to extend Hayhurst's contract for another year.

Following this, Hayhurst signed a new two-year contract with the club in June 2013.

Hayhurst described signing a new contract with the club as "living the dream".

In the 2013–14 season, Hayhurst, however, found his first team opportunities at Preston North End, due to competitions in the midfield positions.

As a result, he only made three starts for the side.

Having never played for Preston North End for two months, Hayhurst made his return to the first team, coming on as a 66th-minute substitute, and set up the club's second goal of the game for Joe Garner, who scored twice, in a 2–0 win against Port Vale on 26 November 2013.

By the time he departed from Preston North End, Hayhurst made ten appearances in all competitions.

In the 2014–15 season, Hayhurst continued to find his first team opportunities at Preston North End, due to competitions in the midfield positions.

But he, once again, made five starts for the side.

By the time Hayhurst departed from the club, he made eleven appearances for the side.

After leaving Preston North End, Hayhurst said: "One of the toughest decisions I knew I would ever have to make was leaving Preston. I felt that for myself personally I had to play more games than I was getting at my age. Being a Preston fan as a boy, it was always my dream to one day play for them. I never expected to play as much as I did so young, but I loved every minute of it. Making my family proud was a huge thing for me, so with them supporting Preston as well it was a great feeling."

Hayhurst joined League Two club York City on 27 January 2014 on a one-month loan, making his debut the following day as a 55th-minute substitute for Lanre Oyebanjo in a 2–0 home defeat to Chesterfield.

Since joining the club, he quickly became a first team regular for the side, playing in the midfield position.

On 3 March 2014, Hayhurst extended his loan spell with York until the end of 2013–14 season.

He then scored his first York goal, in a 1–0 win over Torquay United on 25 March 2014.

His second goal for the club came in the last game of the season, in a 2–2 draw against Scunthorpe United.

Hayhurst played in both of the semi–final play–offs against Fleetwood Town, as York City lost 1–0 on aggregate.

He went on to make 18 appearances for York City.

Following this, Hayhurst returned to his parent club.

On 13 January 2015, Hayhurst signed for Notts County on an 18-month contract.

Upon joining Notts County, Hayhurst stated joining the club could help him gain fitness, having appeared less in the first half of the season at Preston.

Hayhurst made his Notts County debut four days later on 17 January 2015, in a 2–1 win over Crewe Alexandra.

He appeared in the next six matches for the club.