OED appeals: header (in soccer) before 1891

[Stephen Goranson]

The Queenslander (Brisbane) Saturday 6 June 1885 p 904 col. 1-2 (here 2)  Article
Football.
ANGLO-QUEENSLAND FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION.
ST. ANDREWS V. RANGERS.
BY SOUTAR JOHNNIE.
....
Collie, taking the kick, placed the ball right in front of the goal, while Wylie, by a nice header, put it between the uprights, and placed goal No. 2 to the credit of the Saints.

[Trove. Australian Newspapers]
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/19798559?searchTerm=football%20header%20&searchLimits=exactPhrase|||anyWords|||notWords|||l-textSearchScope=*ignore*|*ignore*|||fromdd|||frommm|||fromyyyy|||todd=01|||tomm=01|||toyyyy=1886|||l-word=*ignore*|*ignore*|||sortby

Stephen Goranson
www.duke.edu/~goranson

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