A hero to those on the terrace it’s safe to say there was never a dull moment on or off the pitch during Julian Hazel’s association with Wivenhoe Town. He loved playing for the club and the fans and was very much part of the “Alcoholics Not So Anonymous” gang of players and “SOBS” who used to gather in the back bar after games or when matches were postponed (a write up of one of the more printable sessions can be found via the link below).
Photo: The YTS lad destined to become one of the most feared strikers on the local non-league scene (we apologise to Julian Hazel for finding this picture).
Brought up in Luton Jules was spotted by Colchester United while playing for the Bedfordshire County side and was offered a YTS place at Layer Road. He was one of a handful of the “U’s” successful youth team that were loaned to the Dragons during the early part of the troubled 1991/92 campaign and made his Wivenhoe Town debut on Tuesday 22nd October 1991 as a substitute in a 1-2 Isthmian League Premier Division defeat at Chesham United. He played his first full game in a 2-1 victory over Hendon……..as a full back (!) before appearing as a 38th minute substitute at home to Staines Town. By the 63rd minute he was back in the dressing room having been sent off for clashing with a much larger opponent which was his first, but most certainly not his last, brush with authority in a Dragons shirt.
Pic: Jules rounds Wivenhoe Town Under-18’s keeper Jamie Mitchell to score in an Eastern Junior Alliance League Cup Semi Final tie at Layer Road in 1991/92.
Julian made his Colchester United First Team debut the same season coming on as a substitute in a 3-2 F.A Trophy replay win at Kingstonian on Tuesday 14th January ’92 replacing another former Wivenhoe loan player Steve Restarick. Jules signed a Professional contract and made his Football League debut against Darlington on 29/8/92. Injury meant he found himself out on loan at Braintree Town, Halstead Town Brightlingsea United and Chelmsford City (for whom he played against us as a late substitute in the 1992/93 Essex Senior Cup Final) before eventually finding himself back at Wivenhoe playing 3 out of the final 4 games of the season where his solid performances up front helped secure the Dragons’ Premier Division survival.
Pic: Julian battles for possession in the 0-0 draw at Yeading (1/5/93) as Wivenhoe avoided relegation on the last day of the season.
Unfortunately Colchester decided not to retain him and he linked up with Harwich & Parkeston for the next two seasons. It was now that player/manager Steve Dowman moved to secure his services for the start of the 1995/96 campaign and his aggressive all action approach soon established him as a “SOBS” favourite . It also made him a target for referees and bookings (plus one dismissal) came at regular intervals throughout the campaign, indeed, Sunday League misdemeanours for F.C Spartak resulted in Julian being suspended for the last seven matches of the season. Add to that a nagging hamstring injury a total of 14 competitive goals wasn’t a bad return. Once fully fit Jules quickly established himself as one of the area’s top strikers attracting the attention of mega spending Romford for whom he eventually signed. Within 20 days he was back stating that what the Dragons lacked in finances, they left others behind in terms of atmosphere within the club. Turning down Romford for a second time as well as Harwich Julian stayed at Broad Lane and forged a partnership with Alan “Daisy” Day that had defences at this level in all sorts of trouble. “There’s Only One Julian Hazel” rang out constantly from the “SOBS” during matches (“Thank F**k for that retorted one Horsham fan during his team’s thrashing at Broad Lane) and by the end of the 1996/97 campaign he had 29 goals in 40 appearances.
Pic: Jules puts in a cross against Metropolitan Police at Broad Lane.
Braintree Town came in for him but it was Bedford Town who secured his services and he scored over 30 goals for them during the course of the 1997/98 season. Despite this Julian returned to Wivenhoe in the summer of 1998 as player/manager at the age of just 24 heading a four man team along with Steve Pitt, Joff March and Lee Neale. “I knew that Wivenhoe could not pay me anything like I was getting at Bedford but when the chance came up to manage here I had to take it” said Jules at the time while a Green’Un article from that season stated “In Julian Hazel they have found a person whose heart and soul are in the Essex club.” That was true of a number of players of that era with Jules’ strike partner Alan Day being another example and between them they netted 57 goals that season, Hazel scoring 34 of them.
Pic: Julian looks on as Jimmy Clewley challenges the Tooting & Mitcham United defence.
Along with Pitty and Joff Julian continued to spearhead the Dragons both on and off the pitch almost leading the club to promotion in 2000/01 before the decision of the Management to restructure the league effectively created a completely dead season of “Friendlies” resulting in all but “Daisy” departing in search of competitive football. Jules did return in December 2001 but suffered a number of injuries which limited his appearances. He last pulled on a Dragons shirt on Saturday 28th December 2002 when he came on as a substitute during a 3-1 home victory over Arlesey Town and he eventually left Broad Lane the following month. He is to this day up amongst the club’s leading appearance makers with 227 to his credit and 114 goals. In addition he has an impressive record in Friendly fixtures by scoring 27 goals in 27 appearances. From his first loan game to his last First Team match Julian’s career was inter woven with Wivenhoe Town for just over eleven years and three months. “I feel so much at home here. The fans are absolutely brilliant and they stick by us all the time, through thick and thin” he once told Green’Un scribe Neal Manning. To the “SOBS” he will always be part of this club.
“ONE JULIAN HAZEL…..THERE’S ONLY ONE JULIAN HAZEL !!”
Pic: The last season….On the ball during a 4-1 home victory over East Thurrock United, he was one of our goal scorers on the day. The Bar 33 advert certainly brings back a few memories to some people no doubt!.
John Button
Do You Remember …………… Old Bloke Zone
See link below to when Jules, Joff and Steve formed the Boyzone tribute act.