Jim Herriot

Jim Herriot

Personal information
Full name	James Herriot
Date of birth	(1939-12-20) 20 December 1939
Place of birth	Chapelhall, Scotland
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1957–1958	Douglasdale
1958–1965	Dunfermline Athletic	94	(0)
1965–1971	Birmingham City	181	(0)
1970	→ Mansfield Town (loan)	5	(0)
1971	→ Aston Villa (loan)	0	(0)
1971	Durban City	4	(0)
1971–1973	Hibernian	57	(0)
1973–1975	St Mirren	31	(0)
1975–1976	Partick Thistle	0	(0)
1975	→ Greenock Morton (loan)	1	(0)
1976	→ Dunfermline Athletic (loan)	0	(0)
1976–1977	Greenock Morton	3	(0)
International career
1962–1963	Scottish League XI	2	(0)
1968–1969	Scotland	8	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

James "Jim" Herriot (born 20 December 1939 in Chapelhall, North Lanarkshire) is a former Scottish international footballer who played as a goalkeeper for clubs in Scotland, England and South Africa. Herriot represented both Scotland and the Scottish League XI.

Career

Herriot joined Dunfermline Athletic from junior side Douglasdale in 1958, becoming the Pars established number 1 when Eddie Connachan left for Middlesbrough in 1963. Herriot's performances also drew interest from English scouts and, having helped the side to the 1965 Scottish Cup final, he was transferred to Birmingham City for £18,000. During his playing days at St. Andrews Herriot adopted the American Football technique of applying boot polish under and around his eyes to reduce the effects of glare from the sun.

Herriot was a fixture in the City side during the next four years and would eventually gain international recognition. He made his Scotland debut in October 1968, during a 1–0 defeat of Denmark in Copenhagen, and played a further 7 times for the national side. His last cap came just a year after his first, in a 3–2 defeat by West Germany in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in Hamburg.

By 1970 Herriot had fallen from favour at St Andrews and, following a loan spell with Mansfield Town, he left for South African side Durban City. He returned to Britain in 1971, joining Eddie Turnbull's developing Hibernian side. With Hibs he would win his first career honour, the 1972–73 League Cup, as well as the fledgling Drybrough Cup on two occasions.

He left the Edinburgh side to join St Mirren in 1973, then moved to Partick Thistle in 1975. After a spell on loan with Greenock Morton in October 1975 he returned to Dunfermline Athletic in early 1976 before joining Morton permanently for the 1976–77 season. He retired from the game in the summer of 1977.

Literary alter-ego

Herriot is probably best-known today for giving his name to the writer James Herriot, a Yorkshire vet whose real name was Alf Wight. Wight needed a pen-name to comply with professional rules banning advertising and chose Jim Herriot's name after seeing him play exceptionally well for Birmingham City in a televised match against Manchester United. Jim Herriot is actually a trained bricklayer.

External links

• Jim Herriot at the Scottish Football Association
• Profile at official Dunfermline Athletic website.
• Newcastle Fans profile