Hampstead Heathens F.C.

Hampstead Heathens F.C. was an English football club, based in London. The club competed in the first ever FA Cup in 1871 and were involved in the first ever competitive replay in association football.^[1]

FA Cup

In 1871, Heathens were one of the twelve teams to enter the challenge cup being organised by the Football Association. They received a bye into the second round of the competition, where they were drawn away to Barnes. The match finished in a 1-1 draw but, whilst Hitchin and Crystal Palace had both been sent through after having a goalless draw in the first round, Heathens and Barnes were forced to contest a rematch.

The match took place on 6 January 1872; Hampstead Heathens triumphed 1-0, and progressed to face Royal Engineers in the quarter-final. Their cup run ended here, as they were defeated 3-0 by the team who would ultimately finish runners-up.^[2] This would prove to be their last competitive fixture - the club didn't enter subsequent competitions, nor did they contest any of the league competitions which began to appear nearly two decades later.

Modern day

An amateur club under the name Hampstead Heathens, currently competing in the Amateur Football Combination.^{[3] [4]} This club is not related to the original, however, having been formed in 1975.

References