Heeley F.C.

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

History

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. They 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^[1] 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.^[2]

Heeley entered the FA Cup throughout the 1880s. In 1883 they progressed to the second round after Grantham scratched only to lose 7–2 to Nottingham Forest. Their second attempt saw them having to qualify for the first round beating Redcar 6–1, South Bank 2–1, Park Grange 3–1 and Owlerton 5–1. They lost the first round to Walsall Town Swifts. Their final season in the FA Cup ended in the second qualifying round, losing to Sheffield United.

Notable former players

Players that played in international football while with Heeley -

• Peter Andrews
• Jack Hunter

League and cup history

Honours

Records

• Best FA Cup performance: 4th Round, 1881-82

References