Billy Heames Explained

Billy Heames
Fullname:William Henry Heames
Birth Date:July 1869
Birth Place:Middleport, Staffordshire, England
Position:Left-winger
Clubs1:Middleport Athletic
Years2:1893–1897
Clubs2:Stoke
Caps2:16
Goals2:2
Years3:1897–1904
Clubs3:Burslem Port Vale
Caps3:208
Goals3:22
Totalcaps:224
Totalgoals:24

William Henry Heames (July 1869 – 1939) was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Burslem Port Vale and Stoke. A left-winger, he had an eleven-year career, scoring 28 goals in 249 games in all competitions. His sole honour was a Staffordshire Senior Cup win with Vale in 1898.

Career

Heames played for Middleport Athletic before he joined Stoke in 1893.[1] He made his debut in the Football League in a 4–1 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday on 7 December 1894.[1] This was only appearance in the 1893–94 campaign before he forced his way into the side at the start of the 1894–95 season, making ten appearances at outside-left. However, Joe Schofield swapped wings and Heames fell out of favour.[1] He scored his first senior goal on 17 November 1894, in a 4–2 defeat by Small Heath at Muntz Street. He featured just twice in 1895–96, scoring one goal in a 5–0 win over Sunderland at the Victoria Ground. He was limited to three First Division appearances in 1896–97.

Heames joined nearby Midland League side Burslem Port Vale in the summer of 1897.[2] He was a member of the side that lifted the Staffordshire Senior Cup in 1898.[2] At the end of the season the club was re-admitted into the Second Division.[2] He went on to make 43 appearances in the 1898–99 season, scoring once in a 1–1 draw with Manchester City at the Athletic Ground.[2] He hit eight goals in 39 games in 1899–1900, and then three goals in 36 games in 1900–01.[2] He scored five goals in 38 appearances in 1901–02, including goals against Woolwich Arsenal and Newton Heath (later renamed Manchester United).[2] Heames scored twice in 35 games in 1902–03 and four times in 38 games in 1903–04 but refused to re-sign for the club in the summer of 1904, thus leaving the club after amassing 254 appearances (191 in the football league) and 28 goals (18 in the football league).[2]

Career statistics

Source:

ClubSeasonDivisionLeagueFA CupTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Stoke1893–94First Division100010
1894–95First Division10100101
1895–96First Division210021
1896–97First Division300030
Total16200162
Burslem Port Vale1897–98Midland League17440214
1898–99Second Division33130361
1899–1900Second Division31631347
1900–01Second Division33310343
1901–02Second Division31451365
1902–03Second Division33220352
1903–04Second Division30272372
Total2082225423326
Career total2242425424928
Note: Not including Staffordshire Senior Cup or Birmingham Senior Cup appearances.

Honours

Burslem Port Vale

1898

Notes and References

  1. Book: Matthews, Tony. The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. 1994. Lion Press. 0-9524151-0-0.
  2. Book: Kent, Jeff. Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. 133. 1996. 0-9529152-0-0.