Dennis Heath

Dennis John Heath (28 September 1934 – 28 September 2006) was an English professional footballer and manager who made over 120 appearances in The Football League for Brentford.

Dennis Heath
Personal information
Full name Dennis John Heath[1]
Date of birth (1934-09-28)28 September 1934
Place of birth Chiswick, England
Date of death 28 September 2006(2006-09-28) (aged 72)[1]
Place of death Isleworth, England[2]
Position(s) Outside right
Youth career
Alexandra Villa
1949–1954 Brentford
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1954–1961 Brentford 123 (20)
1961 Bedford Town 19 (0)
Trowbridge Town
Dover
Chertsey Town
Teams managed
Chertsey Town (player-manager)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Brentford

An outside right, Heath began his career at Acton, Brentford & Chiswick Schools' League club Alexandra Villa.[3] He was spotted by Brentford youth team manager Alf Bew at age 15.[3] Heath came through the youth ranks at Brentford and was a part of the youth team which reached the semi-finals of the 1952–53 FA Youth Cup.[4] After completing his National Service,[4] Heath made his debut at the age of 19 in a 6–4 Third Division South defeat to Southampton at The Dell on 21 August 1954.[5] Heath quickly established himself in the first team and made 39 appearances during the 1954–55 season.[5]

Heath's appearance-rate dropped off over the course of his career with the Bees (mainly due to a pierced lung suffered in a reserve match against Charlton Athletic during the 1956–57 season),[3] though he made 29 appearances during the 1958–59 season.[5] Heath's final appearance for the club came in a 4–2 defeat to Newport County at Griffin Park on 29 October 1960 and he was released at the end of the 1960–61 season.[4][5] He made 133 appearances and scored 20 goals during his seven-year spell with the Bees.[4]

Non-league football

After his release from Brentford, Heath dropped into non-league football and played for Bedford Town,[6][7] Trowbridge Town, Dover, Chertsey Town and veterans' team Eversheds.[4] He played for Eversheds until the age of 60.[3]

Management career

While with Chertsey Town, Heath acted as the club's player-manager.[4]

Personal life

Heath undertook his National Service at Catterick Garrison and served as a PT instructor.[3] Along with a number of other Brentford players, Heath appeared briefly in the 1953 film The Great Game.[3] Heath later entered the building trade and worked with his sons.[8] He died in 2006, on his 72nd birthday.[9] At the time of his death, he was living in Isleworth.[2]

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoals Apps GoalsAppsGoals
Brentford 1954–55[5] Third Division South 35 7 4 0 — 39 7
1955–56[5] 17 1 1 0 — 18 1
1956–57[5] 3 0 1 0 — 4 0
1957–58[5] 15 5 0 0 — 15 5
1958–59[5] Third Division 25 4 4 0 — 29 4
1959–60[5] 13 2 0 0 — 13 2
1960–61[5] 15 1 0 0 0 0 15 1
Career total 12320100 0 013320

    References
    1. "Dennis Heath". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
    2. "Brentford | News | Latest News | Latest News | BEES LEGEND PASSES AWAY". world.brentfordfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
    3. Lane, David (2005). Cult Bees & Legends: Volume Two. Hampton Hill: Legends Publishing. pp. 8–21. ISBN 0954368282.
    4. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 74. ISBN 978-0955294914.
    5. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 383–386. ISBN 0951526200.
    6. "Best Years Players F-H – bedfordoldeagles". Sites.google.com. 14 July 1948. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
    7. "1961/2 Summary – bedfordoldeagles". Sites.google.com. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
    8. "Twickenham Builders – Builders in Twickenham – Interior renovation – Painting and Decorating – Kitchens – Loft Extensions". twickenhamroadbuilders.com. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
    9. "BBC SPORT – Football – My Club – Brentford – Winger Heath mourned by Brentford". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
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