[5] 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.

[6] 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.

[9] 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.

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

[19] 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.

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

"[24] Hayhurst joined League Two club York City on 27 January 2014 on a one-month loan,[25] making his debut the following day as a 55th-minute substitute for Lanre Oyebanjo in a 2–0 home defeat to Chesterfield.

[38] In a match against Barnsley on 14 April 2015, he came on as a late minute substitute and set up the equalising goal for Bálint Bajner, in a 1–1 draw.

[40] However, he made no appearances for Notts County throughout the season, due to suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Carlton Town in pre-season.

[46] Hayhurst quickly established himself in the starting eleven for Farsley Celtic and helped the club win the 2018–19's Northern Premier League champions.

[50] In the summer of 2022, he signed for National League North side Curzon Ashton on a free transfer, re-uniting with manager, Adam Lakeland, who he had played under at Farsley Celtic.

[3] Hayhurst was called up to the Republic of Ireland under-19 team for the games of the Elite Round of the UEFA U19 Championship qualifying campaign.

[53][57] In June 2013, Hayhurst talked about his daily life as a footballer for four days on Preston North End's website.