Early career Heckingbottom was born in
Barnsley and grew up in nearby
Royston. As a child, he was a season-ticket holder at the
town's football club, along with his grandfather. He started his football career at
Manchester United as a trainee, but joined
Sunderland in 1995 after failing to gain a professional contract. He had loan spells at
Scarborough,
Hartlepool United and
Darlington, without featuring for Sunderland, before joining Darlington permanently in 1999. He made 126 appearances, scoring 6 goals, before catching the attention of
First Division side
Norwich City, who signed him in 2002 on a three-year contract. Heckingbottom made just 16 appearances for Norwich, including only 7 starts, resulting in him cancelling his contract with the club by mutual consent after just one year. He subsequently signed for
Bradford City in July 2003, and was named their Player of the Year at the end of his first season. Bradford, however, were relegated to
League One at the end of the
2003–04 season, and Heckingbottom left to join
League One club
Sheffield Wednesday during the close season.
Sheffield Wednesday Heckingbottom was well favoured under both Wednesday managers
Chris Turner and
Paul Sturrock, making a total of 41 appearances at left back in his first season – more than any other player that year. He also scored four goals, helping the Owls to promotion to the
Championship via the
play-off final at the end of the
2004–05 season. Due to an injury sustained in pre-season he was put out of contention for the first 16 games of the
2005–06 season. When he returned to fitness, new signing
John Hills had begun to make the left back spot his own. An injury to Hills left Heckingbottom able to re-stake his claim on the team, but he only managed a 4-game streak before once again succumbing to injury, this time
Peter Gilbert taking his place in the squad. Sturrock allowed Heckingbottom a chance to prove himself in an
FA Cup Third Round game against
Charlton Athletic. He scored both of Wednesday's goals in the 4–2 defeat at
Hillsborough, though this was not enough to establish himself as the club's first-choice left back.
Barnsley On 13 January 2006, Heckingbottom was sent on
loan, with a view to a permanent move, to his boyhood club
Barnsley. He played an important part in the club's promotion campaign and win over
Swansea City in the League One play-off final, scoring in the 4–3
penalty shootout victory that secured their promotion to the Championship. Heckingbottom played in 31 games for Barnsley the
next season, as they comfortably avoided relegation. He scored once during his spell at Barnsley, in a 1–0 win over
Tranmere Rovers on 18 February 2006.
Bradford City In July 2007, Heckingbottom returned to
Bradford City on loan until 1 January 2008. He played in all 23 league games during his loan spell, missing only an FA Cup tie against Tranmere Rovers through suspension following a red card in a 1–1 draw with
Stockport County. A week after his loan deal expired, his contract at Barnsley was cancelled by mutual consent and he signed a permanent 18-month deal at Bradford City. He missed his first league game of the
2007–08 season with four games left, when an ankle injury prevented him from playing against
Brentford on 12 April 2008. Heckingbottom's place was taken by
Luke O'Brien, who made his Bradford debut in a 2–2 draw. He played in the club's first nine league games of the
2008–09 season, but was sent off in a 1–1 draw with
Luton Town for two bookable offences. His place was again taken by youngster O'Brien, and although Heckingbottom returned for an FA Cup game against
Milton Keynes Dons, he suffered
tendonitis which kept him out for five months. Bradford opted against offering Heckingbottom a contract extension, and he left the club in May 2009.
Non-league career Heckingbottom signed for
Conference National club
Mansfield Town on 2 June 2009, marking his first foray into the game outside the
Football League. He sustained a
hamstring injury in pre-season and did not play until October, in a 1–0 win over
Forest Green Rovers, 11 months from when he last played a game of football. He became a regular in the Mansfield line-up. On 1 February 2010, Heckingbottom joined
Gateshead on loan until the end of the season. making his debut on 13 February away at
Hayes & Yeading United. Heckingbottom signed for Gateshead on a permanent basis on 26 May 2010. He made 23 appearances in all competitions during the 2010–11 season before he was released on 4 May 2011. He spent the 2011–12 season with
Harrogate Town, making 21 appearances in the
Conference North without scoring. == Managerial career ==