Adrian Heath
Encyclopedia
Adrian Paul Heath is an English
football manager and former player. He manages American
USL Pro Orlando franchise. As a player he is remembered as part of the Everton
side of the 1980s, where he won several trophies. He also played for Stoke City
, Espanyol
, Aston Villa
, Manchester City
, Burnley
and Sheffield United
.
for Port Vale
, and as Heath's father was a Port Vale
supporter he seemed to be heading for Vale Park
until the club's assistant manager revealed he did not rate the youngster – Miles quit the club in protest. Heath instead started his playing career at the Stoke City
. He became a regular in the first team, making 95 appearances. Heath joined in January 1982 for a then club record fee of £700,000. He became the club's top scorer in his first full season, scoring 18 in all competitions in the 1983–84
season. Despite the fact that Heath only played 17 games in the 1984–85
campaign, his scoring got into double figures every season until 1988.
A goal for which many fans remember Heath is credited with changing Everton's fortunes in the 1983–84 road to the League Cup
Final at . Grabbing a poor Kevin Brock back-pass, Heath scored a goal away at Oxford to equalize the match and earn Everton a chance to turn things around.
Heath then became something of a journeyman
, with a spell in Spain
with Espanyol
. After a single season he returned to England, where he spent the remainder of his career. In 1990 Manchester City
manager Howard Kendall
signed Heath from Aston Villa
. Heath was one of a number of former Everton players signed by Kendall, and the transfer marked the third different club at which Heath had played under Kendall. His debut came as a substitute against Charlton Athletic
in January 1990. During the 1990–91 season Heath forged a strike partnership with Niall Quinn
, the short and agile Heath contrasting with Quinn's aerial ability. The pair started 33 matches together, though Heath scored only one goal, in the second match of the season. Heath's barren run lasted 46 matches, and made him the subject of frequent abuse from the crowd, particularly when Heath was selected ahead of fan favourite Clive Allen
. The run finally came to an end in November 1991, when Heath scored two goals in a League Cup
tie at Queen's Park Rangers. As the 1991–92 season progressed, Heath lost his place in the team to young striker Mike Sheron
. In March 1992 Heath returned to his first club Stoke City.
Heath also had a notable three year stint at . In all, over £2 million was spent on fees for Heath during his career.
season having finished ninth in the Second Division
. Two years later he was appointed manager of but he left the club after only five months.
He also worked with former Everton team-mate Peter Reid
at , and . When Reid left Coventry in January 2005, Heath stepped in as caretaker
. He remained at the club under Reid's successor Micky Adams
and again acted as caretaker in January 2007 before leaving the club after Iain Dowie
was appointed.
Heath was appointed manager of USL-1
expansion team
Austin Aztex
in February 2008. Austin Aztex have a close relationship with English side Stoke City, where Heath started his career.
FA Cup
Football League Cup
Charity Shield
European Cup Winners Cup
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...
football manager and former player. He manages American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
USL Pro Orlando franchise. As a player he is remembered as part of the Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
side of the 1980s, where he won several trophies. He also played for Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
, Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...
, Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
, Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
and Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
.
Playing career
Heath was scouted by Terry MilesTerry Miles
Terrence Miles is a former English football midfielder. He played for Port Vale between 1955 and 1968, helping them to the Fourth Division title in 1958–1959. He later turned out for Eastwood, before returning to Vale Park as a coach....
for Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
, and as Heath's father was a Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
supporter he seemed to be heading for Vale Park
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the home ground of Port Vale F.C., who have played at the ground since 1950....
until the club's assistant manager revealed he did not rate the youngster – Miles quit the club in protest. Heath instead started his playing career at the Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
. He became a regular in the first team, making 95 appearances. Heath joined in January 1982 for a then club record fee of £700,000. He became the club's top scorer in his first full season, scoring 18 in all competitions in the 1983–84
1983-84 in English football
The 1983–84 season was the 104th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool had a great first season under the management of Joe Fagan as they wrapped up their third successive league title and the 15th in their history...
season. Despite the fact that Heath only played 17 games in the 1984–85
1984-85 in English football
The 1984–85 season was the 105th season of competitive football in England.-Bradford City disaster:56 spectators died and more than 200 were injured when a fire ripped through the Main Stand at Valley Parade during Bradford City's Third Division fixture with Lincoln City on 11 May...
campaign, his scoring got into double figures every season until 1988.
A goal for which many fans remember Heath is credited with changing Everton's fortunes in the 1983–84 road to the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
Final at . Grabbing a poor Kevin Brock back-pass, Heath scored a goal away at Oxford to equalize the match and earn Everton a chance to turn things around.
Heath then became something of a journeyman
Journeyman
A journeyman is someone who completed an apprenticeship and was fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman had to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted to the guild as a master....
, with a spell in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
with Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...
. After a single season he returned to England, where he spent the remainder of his career. In 1990 Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
manager Howard Kendall
Howard Kendall
Howard Kendall is an English football manager and former player. He is most famous for his connection to Everton, a club that he both played for and managed. His uncle Harry Taylor played for Newcastle United and Fulham in the 1950s....
signed Heath from Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. Heath was one of a number of former Everton players signed by Kendall, and the transfer marked the third different club at which Heath had played under Kendall. His debut came as a substitute against Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
in January 1990. During the 1990–91 season Heath forged a strike partnership with Niall Quinn
Niall Quinn
Niall John Quinn honorary MBE is a former Irish international footballer, and the ex-chairman of Sunderland AFC. He still works at the club as an overseas manager. He is also heavily involved in the management side of horse racing...
, the short and agile Heath contrasting with Quinn's aerial ability. The pair started 33 matches together, though Heath scored only one goal, in the second match of the season. Heath's barren run lasted 46 matches, and made him the subject of frequent abuse from the crowd, particularly when Heath was selected ahead of fan favourite Clive Allen
Clive Allen
Clive Darren Allen is a retired English footballer, a prolific scorer for a number of clubs.Allen is the son of ex-Tottenham Hotspur forward Les Allen, who was a member of the legendary team which won the First Division title and FA Cup "double" in 1961...
. The run finally came to an end in November 1991, when Heath scored two goals in a League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
tie at Queen's Park Rangers. As the 1991–92 season progressed, Heath lost his place in the team to young striker Mike Sheron
Mike Sheron
Michael "Mike" Sheron is an English former footballer, born in Liverpool, who made nearly 500 appearances in the Premier League and the Football League playing as a striker for Manchester City, Bury, Norwich City, Stoke City, Queens Park Rangers, Barnsley, Blackpool, Macclesfield Town and...
. In March 1992 Heath returned to his first club Stoke City.
Heath also had a notable three year stint at . In all, over £2 million was spent on fees for Heath during his career.
Managerial career
Heath began his managerial career as player-manager of Burnley in March 1996. He left after the 1996–971996-97 in English football
The 1996–1997 season was the 117th season of competitive football in England.Arrival into the league and exit out of the league returns in the fourth tier for the first time after its 3 season absence with only 1 relegation spot.- Premier League :...
season having finished ninth in the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
. Two years later he was appointed manager of but he left the club after only five months.
He also worked with former Everton team-mate Peter Reid
Peter Reid
Peter Reid is an English football manager, pundit and retired player, who is currently without a club since his departure from Plymouth Argyle.A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career...
at , and . When Reid left Coventry in January 2005, Heath stepped in as caretaker
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
. He remained at the club under Reid's successor Micky Adams
Micky Adams
Michael Richard "Micky" Adams is an English former professional footballer turned football manager who is in charge of League Two side Port Vale. As a player he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen year professional career in the Football League, including five...
and again acted as caretaker in January 2007 before leaving the club after Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie is a former footballer and manager. He is currently without a club. He has previously managed Hull City and Queens Park Rangers and was assistant manager of Newcastle United...
was appointed.
Heath was appointed manager of USL-1
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
expansion team
Expansion team
An expansion team is a brand new team in a sports league. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues, but is applied to sports leagues worldwide that use a closed franchise system of league membership. The term comes from the expansion of the...
Austin Aztex
Austin Aztex
Austin Aztex FC was an American professional soccer team based in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 2008, the team played in the USL First Division, and in the USL Division of the USSF D2 Pro League, the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid...
in February 2008. Austin Aztex have a close relationship with English side Stoke City, where Heath started his career.
with Everton
Football League Division One (now Premier League)- Winner – 1984–85, 1986–87
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...
- Winner – 1984
- Runner-up −1989
Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
- Runner-up – 1984
Charity Shield
- Winner – 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987
European Cup Winners Cup
- Winner – 1985