Hesford began his career at Blackpool, where he played more than 200 games and won seven caps for the England Under-21 team.
When he made his debut, against Oldham Athletic on 20 August 1977, aged 17, he became the youngest goalkeeper ever to play for Blackpool in a League game.
He scored the winner in a 3–2 home win for Maidstone against Hereford United on a windy day in 1991, with a massive drop-kick from his own penalty area.
During his time at Eastern, the club captured 5 trophies including the Hong Kong Senior Shield, FA Cup and the league championship.
While at Eastern, he went 827 minutes (over ten games) without conceding a goal, setting a HKFDL record before Loh Wai Chi scored for South China in a second round match.