Heeley F.C.

Heeley F.C. was an English association football club based in Sheffield, Yorkshire.

Heeley
Full nameHeeley Football Club

History
1879 kit

Heeley were one of the major teams in the area during the 1860s and 70s. They were established in the early 1860s and named after the Sheffield suburb of the same name. In 1872 the club's colours were all-white with narrow grey hoops on the shirt, however by 1879 they had switched to salmon pink and black hoops, white shorts, and black socks.[1] Heeley were involved in the formation of the Sheffield Football Association and played in the Youdan Cup. They built a fierce rivalry with The Wednesday, and met them in the first ever final of the Sheffield Challenge Cup at Bramall Lane, losing 3–4 after extra-time. They would go on to lose a further four Challenge Cup finals, but did win the final in 1882.

Their best player was Jack Hunter who played seven times for England[2] and captained them once. They also had Peter Andrews, a Scottish International who played against England in 1875. Jack Hudson started his career at Heeley before joining Sheffield and then The Wednesday, and made one appearance for England.[3]

Heeley entered the FA Cup throughout the 1880s, progressing the furthest into the competition with their maiden entry, a run to the fourth round of 1881–82, all achieved without leaving Sheffield: a home tie with Lockwood Brothers followed by short away trips to Sheffield and The Wednesday either side of a third-round bye. In their second attempt, in 1882–83, Heeley progressed to the second round after Grantham scratched only to lose 7–2 to Nottingham Forest. Forest would repeat the trick at the same stage two years on, after Heeley lost to their city rivals–Notts County–in the first round the intervening season. Having ended Eckington Works' involvement in the first round of 1885–86, Heeley's luck against Nottinghamshire clubs continued to elude them, this time Notts Rangers sinking the Sheffielders with a 1–6 away win.

The 1886–87 FA Cup campaign saw them beaten by Grimsby Town in the first round. Their start to the following edition was far better: a 9–0 win over nearby Attercliffe, however another Sheffield side, Owlerton, put Heeley out in round two. 1888–89 saw them having to qualify for the first round beating Redcar 6–1, South Bank 2–1, Park Grange 3–1 and finally, revenge against Owlerton 5–1. They lost the first round to Walsall Town Swifts, and would never make the tournament proper again. Their final season in the FA Cup ended in the second qualifying round, losing to Sheffield United., though their final entries saw them withdraw from the 1890–91 and 1891–92 FA Cup qualifying rounds at the first hurdle.

Notable former players

Players that played in international football while with Heeley –

League and cup history
Heeley League and Cup history[4][5][6][7]
SeasonDivisionPositionFA Cup
1881–82
-
-
4th Round
1882–83
-
-
2nd Round
1883–84
-
-
1st Round
1884–85
-
-
2nd Round
1885–86
-
-
2nd Round
1886–87
-
-
1st Round
1887–88
-
-
2nd Round
1888–89
-
-
1st Round
1889–90
-
-
2nd Qualifying Round
1890–91
-
-
1st Qualifying Round
1891–92
Hallamshire League
5th/8
1st Qualifying Round
1893–94
Hatchard League South
/8
-
1894–95
Hatchard League Division 2
/8
-
1895–96
Sheffield Minor Cup League
-
1896–97
Sheffield Alliance League Division 2
/12
-
1897–98
Sheffield Alliance League
/11
-

Honours

Records

References
  1. Moor, Dave. "Eminent Victorians (Northern England)". historicalkits.co.uk. Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  2. Club Affiliations – Sheffield Heeley
  3. "Jack Hudson". England players. englandfootballonline. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  4. FA Cup Archive The FA
  5. Heeley WildStat
  6. Heeley at the Football Club History Database
  7. British Newspaper Archive
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