Lot Essay
The Wanderers won the F.A. Cup five times in the first seven finals and were the first truly outstanding football club. Formed from the Old Harrovian side Forest F.C. (1859-63) they played their early matches at Battersea Park and their players comprised university, public school and army men. They were also the first English side to play in Scotland and in the early 1880's the club was disbanded.
The 1877 Cup final between The Wanderers and Oxford University played at Kennington Oval before a crowd of 3,000 ended in a 2-0 win for The Wanderers after extra-time (some match reports give the result as 2-1 although it is generally thought to be 2-0). This was the first F.A. Cup final that went to extra-time.
George Hubert Hugh Heron was born in Uxbridge on 30th January 1852 and played for his home town side Uxbridge F.C. before joining The Wanderers. Thereafter he joined Swifts F.C. and served on the F.A. Committee from 1873-1876. He appeared in three consecutive F.A. Cup finals whilst with The Wanderers (1876-1878) and picked-up a winners medal on each occasion. In fact, he played in the 1876 Cup final with his older brother Charles Francis William Heron, and appeared five times for the England International team against Scotland between 1873 and 1878. Heron later became a wine merchant in Bournemouth and died on 5th June 1914.