Irish winger Hayes was brought over to England by Reading but never managed a first-team outing for the Royals, instead going out on-loan to MK Dons and Forest Green Rovers.

It was the Dubliner's links with the Dons that saw him come to Leicester - Foxes boss Martin Allen was the man who took him to Milton Keynes. He was fast but often failed to produce a finished product, something which limited him to just the one start in a City shirt and six further appearances from the bench.

As with Allen's short stay at the club, Hayes's was short-lived, too, having failed to win over incoming boss Nigel Pearson. He was allowed to leave for first-team action to Northampton before being reunited with Allen for a third time during a loan move to Cheltenham Town.

Not surprisingly, Hayes saw his City contract terminated and he moved north of the border in search of more regular action, signing for Inverness.