George Heywood

George Heywood (12 January 1907 – 7 September 1985) was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Port Vale and Southport.[3]

Not to be confused with Birmingham, Chesterfield and Southport footballer George Haywood or rugby player George Hayward (rugby).

George Heywood
Personal information
Full name George Heywood[1]
Date of birth (1907-01-12)12 January 1907[2]
Place of birth Clayton, Manchester, England[1]
Date of death 7 September 1985(1985-09-07) (aged 78)[1]
Place of death Guernsey, United Kingdom[1]
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

George Heywood was born on 12 January 1907 in Clayton, Manchester.[4] His father, Fred, played professional football for Newcastle United and Blackpool.[4] He died of a heart attack on 7 September 1985, whilst on holiday in Guernsey.[4]

Career

Early career

Heywood played for South Salford Lads from 1921 to 1927 and was capped by England Schoolboys against Wales in 1921.[4] He was spotted by Billy Meredith and signed to Manchester City as an amateur.[4] He played 11 Central League games at left-back for the Reserves, and also played for Oldham Athletic Reserves in the Midweek League.[4]

Altrincham

Heywood joined Altrincham and played two Cheshire County League games at right-back during the 1928–29 campaign.[4] He signed a contract with the club in April 1930, playing the last four games of the 1929–30 season at right-back.[4] He missed just two games of the 1930–31 season, featuring in both full-back positions.[4] 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.[4] He missed just three games in the 1932–33 season.[4] He won the Cheshire Senior Cup with the club in 1934, as Altrincham beat Congleton Town 1–0 in the final at Edgeley Park.[4] He also scored his first goal during the 1933–34 season, converting a penalty kick.[4] 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.[4]

Later career

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.[4] He spent the 1937–38 campaign with Hyde United, making 41 Cheshire County League appearances and also playing three cup games.[5] He later played for Northwich Victoria and Stalybridge Celtic, before returning to Altrincham.[1] He retired from football in 1940.[4]

Style of play

Heywood was a full-back with pace and tackling ability, as well as passing technique and good positional sense.

Career statistics
Club Season Division League FA Cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Altrincham1928–29[4]Cheshire County League20000020
1929–30[4]Cheshire County League40000040
1930–31[4]Cheshire County League4111060481
1931–32[4]Cheshire County League4106030500
1932–33[4]Cheshire County League4006060520
1933–34[4]Cheshire County League3518050481
1934–35[4]Cheshire County League4214190552
1935–36[4]Cheshire County League1605010220
Total 22133013002813
Port Vale1935–36[6]Second Division2100000210
1935–36[6]Third Division North20000020
Total 2300000230
Southport1936–37[6]Third Division North1402000160
Hyde United1937–38[5][7]Cheshire County League4100030440

Honours

Altrincham

References
  1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 135. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  2. "Player Details". SFC FPA. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  3. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData (Tony Brown). p. 123. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  4. "Altrincham FC Legends". www.lusoweb.co.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  5. "Hyde United Football Club: Database". www.hydeunited.com. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  6. George Heywood at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  7. "Hyde United Football Club: Database". www.hydeunited.com. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
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