George Heywood (12 January 1907 – 7 September 1985) was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Port Vale and Southport.[4]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George Heywood[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 12 January 1907[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Clayton, Manchester, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 7 September 1985 (aged 78)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Guernsey, United Kingdom[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Full-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1921–1927 | South Salford Lads | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1928–1930 | Manchester City | 0 | (0) |
| 1930–1935 | Altrincham | 221 | (3) |
| 1935–1936 | Port Vale | 23 | (0) |
| 1936–1937 | Southport | 14 | (0) |
| 1937–1938 | Hyde United | 41 | (0) |
| 1938–1939 | Northwich Victoria | ||
| 1939 | Stalybridge Celtic | ||
| 1939–1940 | Altrincham | 0 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 1921 | England schools | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early and personal life edit
George Heywood was born on 12 January 1907 in Clayton, Manchester.[5] His father, Fred, played professional football for Newcastle United and Blackpool.[5] He died of a heart attack on 7 September 1985, whilst on holiday in Guernsey.[5]
Career edit
Early career edit
Heywood played for South Salford Lads from 1921 to 1927 and was capped by England Schoolboys against Wales in 1921.[5] He was spotted by Billy Meredith and signed to Manchester City as an amateur.[5] He played 11 Central League games at left-back for the Reserves, and also played for Oldham Athletic Reserves in the Midweek League.[5]
Altrincham edit
Heywood joined Altrincham and played two Cheshire County League games at right-back during the 1928–29 campaign.[5] He signed a contract with the club in April 1930, playing the last four games of the 1929–30 season at right-back.[5] He missed just two games of the 1930–31 season, featuring in both full-back positions.[5] He played 50 games from right-back of the 1931–32 campaign, but rejected interest from Football League clubs such as Crystal Palace and Burnley as he was satisfied with his job at the GEC as a mechanical inspector.[5] He missed just three games in the 1932–33 season.[5] He won the Cheshire Senior Cup with the club in 1934, as Altrincham beat Congleton Town 1–0 in the final at Edgeley Park.[5] He also scored his first goal during the 1933–34 season, converting a penalty kick.[5] Altrincham finished second to Wigan Athletic in the 1934–35 season and also reached the semi-finals in both the Cheshire Senior Cup and the Cheshire County Cup; he scored two goals in 55 appearances playing across from former England international left-back Billy Felton.[5]
Later career edit
Heywood joined Port Vale for a £250 fee in November 1935.[1] His debut came in a 9–2 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.[1] Despite the heavy loss he remained he a regular for the rest of the season, making 21 appearances as the "Valiants" were relegated out of the Second Division.[1] He lost his place soon into the next season however, and was transferred to Third Division North rivals Southport in November 1936.[1] Southport were suffering an injury crisis and trainer Jimmy Seddon and known Heywood from his time at Altrincham.[5] He spent the 1937–38 campaign with Hyde United, making 41 Cheshire County League appearances and also playing three cup games.[6] He later played for Northwich Victoria and Stalybridge Celtic, before returning to Altrincham.[1] He retired from football in 1940.[5]
Style of play edit
Heywood was a full-back with pace and tackling ability, as well as passing technique and good positional sense.
Career statistics edit
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Altrincham | 1928–29[5] | Cheshire County League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1929–30[5] | Cheshire County League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1930–31[5] | Cheshire County League | 41 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 48 | 1 | |
| 1931–32[5] | Cheshire County League | 41 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 0 | |
| 1932–33[5] | Cheshire County League | 40 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 52 | 0 | |
| 1933–34[5] | Cheshire County League | 35 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 48 | 1 | |
| 1934–35[5] | Cheshire County League | 42 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 55 | 2 | |
| 1935–36[5] | Cheshire County League | 16 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
| Total | 221 | 3 | 30 | 1 | 30 | 0 | 281 | 3 | ||
| Port Vale | 1935–36[7] | Second Division | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| 1935–36[7] | Third Division North | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| Southport | 1936–37[7] | Third Division North | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Hyde United | 1937–38[6][8] | Cheshire County League | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 0 |
Honours edit
Altrincham
- Cheshire Senior Cup: 1934[5]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 135. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ^ "Player Details". SFC FPA. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ "Port Vale. Famous coach". Sunday Dispatch Football Guide. London. 23 August 1936. p. xvi – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData (Tony Brown). p. 123. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "Altrincham FC Legends". www.lusoweb.co.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
- ^ a b "Hyde United Football Club: Database". www.hydeunited.com. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ a b c George Heywood at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
- ^ "Hyde United Football Club: Database". www.hydeunited.com. Retrieved 25 October 2022.