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.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George Heppell[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 2 September 1916[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Wingate, County Durham, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 20 July 1993 (aged 76)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent, England[1] | ||
| 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 | |||
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.[2]
Personal life
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.[3]
Career statistics
| 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 | ||||||