George Heppell

George Heppell
Personal information
Full name George Heppell[1]
Date of birth (1916-09-02)2 September 1916[1]
Place of birth Wingate, County Durham, England[1]
Date of death 20 July 1993(1993-07-20) (aged 76)[1]
Place of death Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent, England[1]
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1937–1952 Port Vale 193 (0)
1952–1953 Witton Albion
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

George Heppell (2 September 1916 – 20 July 1993) was an English football goalkeeper who made 213 league and cup appearances for Port Vale either side of World War II. His father-in-law, Albert Pearson, and great-grandson, Tom Conlon, both also played for Port Vale.

Career

Heppell joined Port Vale from Wolverhampton Wanderers in May 1937.[1] He made 25 Third Division North appearances in the 1937–38 season, as goalkeeping duties were split between himself and James Nicholls.[1] However, he played just three Third Division South games in the 1938–39 season, as new signing Arthur Jepson became the club's first choice goalkeeper.[1] Heppell was enlisted into the Army in February 1940.[1] Despite this he managed to guest for Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough during World War II, before returning to Port Vale following his demobilization in January 1946.[1] He was an ever-present during the 1946–47 season, as his form convinced the club to sell Jepson to rivals Stoke City.[1] He remained Gordon Hodgson's first choice goalkeeper, playing 40 games in the 1947–48 campaign.[1] He played 38 games in the 1948–49 season, ahead of reserves Ray Hancock and Harry Prince.[1] However, he then lost his place, and played just three games in the 1949–50 season as new signing Ray King proved to be in impressive form.[1] He featured 17 and 28 times in the 1950–51 and 1951–52 seasons, before being handed a free transfer away from Vale Park by new boss Freddie Steele in May 1952.[1] He later played Cheshire County League football for Witton Albion, featuring in 18 games during the 1952–53 season.[3]

Personal life

father-in-law Albert Pearson.

His father-in-law was Albert Pearson, who played for Port Vale and Liverpool from 1914 to 1922. Heppell's great-grandson, Tom Conlon signed with Port Vale in 2018.[4]

Career statistics

Source:[5][3]

Club Season Division League FA Cup Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Port Vale 1937–38 Third Division North 25 0 1 0 1 0 27 0
1938–39 Third Division South 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
1946–47 Third Division South 42 0 5 0 0 0 47 0
1947–48 Third Division South 39 0 1 0 0 0 40 0
1948–49 Third Division South 37 0 1 0 0 0 38 0
1949–50 Third Division South 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
1950–51 Third Division South 17 0 0 0 0 0 17 0
1951–52 Third Division South 27 0 1 0 0 0 28 0
Total 193 0 9 0 1 0 203 0
Witton Albion 1952–53 Cheshire County League 18 0

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 135. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  2. ^ Fielding, Rob (12 January 2025). "The 1939-40 Port Vale season preview". onevalefan.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  3. ^ a b "1952-53 PLAYERS RECORDS". wittonalbionfc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  4. ^ Baggaley, Michael (16 March 2020). "Tom Conlon on family pride and his Port Vale history". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  5. ^ George Heppell at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)