Hubert Heron
Encyclopedia
George Hubert Hugh Heron (30 January 1852 - 5 June 1914) was an English
footballer who made five appearances as a forward
for England
in the 1870s and won three FA Cup
winners' medals.
, west London
and attended Mill Hill School
. On leaving school he played as an amateur for Uxbridge
before joining the Wanderers
.
His first international appearance came on the left of a six-man forward line against Scotland
on 8 March 1873 at the Kennington Oval, London
, which resulted in a 4-2 victory for England. He was again selected for the third annual match
against Scotland on 7 March 1874, when "the Scots managed a 2-1 victory to avenge the 1873 defeat".
He made his debut for Wanderers on 4 March 1874 in a friendly match against Westminster School
. He was described in the 1875 "Football Annual" as "a wing player (who) is useful and at times brilliant; is fast and dribbles skilfully, used to be a little selfish in his style of play, but of late very much improved in this respect". He made ten appearances for Wanderers in 1874-75, scoring eight goals.
In 1875
, he was one of several Wanderers players selected to meet Scotland at Kennington Oval on 6 March. This match ended 2-2, with England's goals coming from Heron's Wanderers team-mates, Charles Wollaston
and Charles Alcock
. For the next year's international match
played at Hamilton Crescent
, Partick
on 4 March 1876 Heron was appointed captain, with his younger brother Francis
playing alongside him. According to Philip Gibbons, "England struggled throughout the game, which saw the home team run out winners by three goals to nil."
A week after the England match, he was part of the Wanderers
team that met the Old Etonians
in the 1876 FA Cup Final
at the Kennington Oval
. The first match ended in a 1-1 draw, with the Wanderers victorious 3-0 in the replay on 18 March. Heron was involved in the second and third Wanderers goals, twice laying on the crosses for Thomas Hughes
to score. Francis also played for Wanderers in this match; it would be another 120 years before a pair of brothers again played together in an FA Cup-final winning side and for England in the same season, when Gary
and Phil Neville did so in 1996.
The following season, Wanderers were again victorious in the Cup Final
, defeating Oxford University
2-1. In the semi-final against Cambridge University, Heron scored the only goal to send Wanderers to their second consecutive final and a (then) record fourth in total. This was as close as the FA Cup Final
ever came to a battle between the two leading universities. In the final itself, his cross found Jarvis Kenrick
who scored an equalizing goal near the end of normal time; Wanderers scored the winning goal in extra-time.
Heron was not selected for the 1877 international
, but was recalled in 1878
. The match, played on 2 March 1878 at Hampden Park
ended in a humiliating 7-2 defeat. This brought Heron's international career to an end; all his matches had come against Scotland
and comprised one victory, one draw and three defeats.
In the first round of the 1877-78 FA Cup
, Heron scored four goals in a 9-1 victory over the Panthers. On 23 March 1878 he reached his (and Wanderers') third successive Cup Final
. Although not scoring himself, he again put in a cross from the right for Kenrick to score his second goal of the game, with Wanderers eventually running out 3-1 victors. Wanderers thus won the Cup for the fifth (and final) time in seven years. The 1878 FA Cup final was Heron's final game for Wanderers.
During his career he also played for Swifts
as well as representing Middlesex
and London
.
committee between 1873 and 1876 and earned his living as a wine
merchant
in Bournemouth
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
footballer who made five appearances as a forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
for England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
in the 1870s and won three FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
winners' medals.
Playing career
Heron was born in UxbridgeUxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
, west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and attended Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School, in Mill Hill, London, is a coeducational independent school for boarding and day pupils aged 13–18. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, an organisation of public schools in the United Kingdom....
. On leaving school he played as an amateur for Uxbridge
Uxbridge F.C.
Uxbridge Football Club are a football club representing Uxbridge but now based in West Drayton, in the County of Middlesex England. They were established in 1871 and are one of the oldest clubs in the South of England. They were founder members of the Southern League Division Two in 1894 and have...
before joining the Wanderers
Wanderers F.C.
Wanderers Football Club is an English amateur football club, based in London, that plays in the Surrey South Eastern Combination. Founded as Forest Football Club in 1859, the club changed its name to Wanderers in 1864....
.
His first international appearance came on the left of a six-man forward line against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
on 8 March 1873 at the Kennington Oval, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, which resulted in a 4-2 victory for England. He was again selected for the third annual match
1873-74 in English football
The 1873–1874 season was the third season of competitive football in England. Oxford University beat the Royal Engineers 2–0-National team:* England score given firstKey* A = Away match* F = Friendly-Honours:...
against Scotland on 7 March 1874, when "the Scots managed a 2-1 victory to avenge the 1873 defeat".
He made his debut for Wanderers on 4 March 1874 in a friendly match against Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
. He was described in the 1875 "Football Annual" as "a wing player (who) is useful and at times brilliant; is fast and dribbles skilfully, used to be a little selfish in his style of play, but of late very much improved in this respect". He made ten appearances for Wanderers in 1874-75, scoring eight goals.
In 1875
1874-75 in English football
The 1874–1875 season was the fourth season of competitive football in England.-National team:* England score given firstKey* H = Home match* F = Friendly-Honours:...
, he was one of several Wanderers players selected to meet Scotland at Kennington Oval on 6 March. This match ended 2-2, with England's goals coming from Heron's Wanderers team-mates, Charles Wollaston
Charles Wollaston
Charles Henry Reynolds Wollaston was an English footballer for Wanderers F.C. and England.Wollaston played for Wanderers in the first FA Cup Final in 1872 and scored in the second final of 1873. In all he won five winner's medals, the first player to achieve this feat.He earned four caps for...
and Charles Alcock
C. W. Alcock
Charles William Alcock was an influential English sportsman and administrator. He was a major instigator in the development of both international football and cricket, as well as being the creator of the FA Cup....
. For the next year's international match
1875-76 in English football
The 1875–1876 season was the fifth season of competitive football in England. The only international match was the fifth match between England and Scotland.-National team:* England score given firstKey* A = Away match* F = Friendly...
played at Hamilton Crescent
Hamilton Crescent
Hamilton Crescent is a cricket ground located in the Partick area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club.Hamilton Crescent is famous for holding the first ever international football match, played between Scotland and England...
, Partick
Partick
Partick is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch. Partick was a Police burgh from 1852 until 1912 when it was incorporated into the city.-History:...
on 4 March 1876 Heron was appointed captain, with his younger brother Francis
Francis Heron
Charles Francis William Heron was an English footballer who made one appearance as a forward for England and was a member of the Wanderers side that won the FA Cup in 1876.-Playing career:...
playing alongside him. According to Philip Gibbons, "England struggled throughout the game, which saw the home team run out winners by three goals to nil."
A week after the England match, he was part of the Wanderers
Wanderers F.C.
Wanderers Football Club is an English amateur football club, based in London, that plays in the Surrey South Eastern Combination. Founded as Forest Football Club in 1859, the club changed its name to Wanderers in 1864....
team that met the Old Etonians
Old Etonians F.C.
The Old Etonians Football Club is an English football club whose players are taken from previous attendees of Eton College, in Eton, Berkshire.-History:...
in the 1876 FA Cup Final
1876 FA Cup Final
Match rules:90 minutes normal time.30 minutes extra-time if scores are level, at captains' discretion.Replay if scores still level.No substitutes.-Summary:The replay took place one week later at the same venue...
at the Kennington Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
. The first match ended in a 1-1 draw, with the Wanderers victorious 3-0 in the replay on 18 March. Heron was involved in the second and third Wanderers goals, twice laying on the crosses for Thomas Hughes
Thomas Hughes (footballer)
Thomas Bridges Hughes was an English amateur footballer who was the first player to score two goals in an FA Cup Final, with Wanderers in 1876...
to score. Francis also played for Wanderers in this match; it would be another 120 years before a pair of brothers again played together in an FA Cup-final winning side and for England in the same season, when Gary
Gary Neville
Gary Alexander Neville is a former English footballer. He is England's most capped right-back and was Manchester United's club captain for five years....
and Phil Neville did so in 1996.
The following season, Wanderers were again victorious in the Cup Final
1877 FA Cup Final
The 1877 FA Cup Final was a football match between Wanderers and Oxford University on 24 March 1877 at Kennington Oval in London. It was the sixth final of the world's oldest football competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup . Wanderers were the reigning cup-holders and had won the...
, defeating Oxford University
Oxford University A.F.C.
Oxford University Association Football Club is an English football club representing the University of Oxford.-History:Formed in 1872, the club was a giant of the 1870s, winning the FA Cup 2-0 against Royal Engineers in 1874 and finishing the competition as runners up in 1873, 1877 and 1880, the...
2-1. In the semi-final against Cambridge University, Heron scored the only goal to send Wanderers to their second consecutive final and a (then) record fourth in total. This was as close as the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
ever came to a battle between the two leading universities. In the final itself, his cross found Jarvis Kenrick
Jarvis Kenrick
Jarvis Kenrick was an English association football player....
who scored an equalizing goal near the end of normal time; Wanderers scored the winning goal in extra-time.
Heron was not selected for the 1877 international
1876-77 in English football
The 1876–1877 season was the sixth season of competitive football in England.-National team:* England score given firstThis was England's first defeat on 'home soil'. The referee for this match was former England player, Robert Ogilvie.Key...
, but was recalled in 1878
1877-78 in English football
The 1877–78 season was the seventh season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Wanderers became the first club to win the FA Cup three times in a row after beating Royal Engineers 3–1 in this season's final. It was the fifth time they had won the competition overall...
. The match, played on 2 March 1878 at Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
ended in a humiliating 7-2 defeat. This brought Heron's international career to an end; all his matches had come against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
and comprised one victory, one draw and three defeats.
In the first round of the 1877-78 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, Heron scored four goals in a 9-1 victory over the Panthers. On 23 March 1878 he reached his (and Wanderers') third successive Cup Final
1878 FA Cup Final
Match rules:90 minutes normal time.30 minutes extra-time if scores are level, at captains' discretion.Replay if scores still level.No substitutes.-Post-match:...
. Although not scoring himself, he again put in a cross from the right for Kenrick to score his second goal of the game, with Wanderers eventually running out 3-1 victors. Wanderers thus won the Cup for the fifth (and final) time in seven years. The 1878 FA Cup final was Heron's final game for Wanderers.
During his career he also played for Swifts
Swifts F.C.
Swifts Football Club were a football team based in Slough, England.The club were founded c.1868 and played their home matches on a ground near The Dolphin public house, Slough...
as well as representing Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Later career
Heron served on the F.A.The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
committee between 1873 and 1876 and earned his living as a wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
in Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
.
Honours
WanderersWanderers F.C.
Wanderers Football Club is an English amateur football club, based in London, that plays in the Surrey South Eastern Combination. Founded as Forest Football Club in 1859, the club changed its name to Wanderers in 1864....
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
winners: 18761876 FA Cup FinalMatch rules:90 minutes normal time.30 minutes extra-time if scores are level, at captains' discretion.Replay if scores still level.No substitutes.-Summary:The replay took place one week later at the same venue...
, 18771877 FA Cup FinalThe 1877 FA Cup Final was a football match between Wanderers and Oxford University on 24 March 1877 at Kennington Oval in London. It was the sixth final of the world's oldest football competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup . Wanderers were the reigning cup-holders and had won the...
and 18781878 FA Cup FinalMatch rules:90 minutes normal time.30 minutes extra-time if scores are level, at captains' discretion.Replay if scores still level.No substitutes.-Post-match:...