User:Df1987/Don Kerrigan

Donnie Kerrigan (1941- 1990)

Donnie Kerrigan was a Scottish professional footballer who played for St Mirren Football Club and a host of other clubs including Aberdeen FC and Heart of Midlothian from the mid-1950s until the early 1970s.

Capped by the Scottish Schools, Kerrigan's football career took off when Douglas Smith, the doyen founder of Drumchapel Amateurs, took Kerrigan on board. Douglas spoke highly of his protege.

He said: "Donnie was a brilliant player with remarkable pace and the ability to turn and take players on. My one regret was that, although he was often in the pool, he never gained a full Scottish Youth cap."

A trial with Duntocher Hibernian F.C. saw the St Mirren scouting team of Jack Gilmour and Fraser McIntosh take in the game. They were more than impressed with Donnie's performance, harnessing additional Love Street back up in the shape of "Bunty" Lamb and manager Willie Reid to lay siege to the Kerrigan household with a view to signing for the Saints.

The deal didn't go through. At that time a youngster going senior without going through the Junior ranks could never return to the Juniors in later years. The solution was to sign him as a part-time player and farm out on loan to Johnstone Burgh. A sum of £5 a week as an engneering apprentice with the defence company Barr & Stroud allied to a payment of £16 a week at Love Street was a high financial platform for a 17-year-old.

A winning senior debut against Third Lanark at Cathkin Park on December 12th 1958, saw Donnie wear the number seven jersey and went on to appear on the left wing in a further seven league fixtures that season. Cup-winning goalkeeper Davie Walker also celebrated his first Saints outing in the same game.

The latent Kerrigan expertise was more than promising, but he was conceivably a touch miffed at not displacing Alistair Miller at outside left and gaining celebrity status in the 1959 St Mirren Scottish Cup win. His eye for depositing the ball in the opposition net was as sharp as ever as the renowned Billy McNeill of Celtic and Scotland fame would confirm. McNeill was the national centre half at the time when Celtic faced St Mirren in the 1962 Scottish Cup semi-final at Ibrox. 3-1 in Saints favour, the confirmed highlight in that encounter was the Kerrigan goal, Kerrigan taking McNeill for pace, beating him and unleashing a rocket passed the bemused Frank Haffey in the Celtic goal.

One further Scoring high spot came with Hearts visiting Love Street on April 2nd 1963. Saints logged in a 7-3 return, Kerrigan scoring four with Bobby Carroll netting the other three. A more than commendable Love Street career saw the Kerrigan CV enhanced with a 43 goal return generated from only 112 outings. At this time Aberdeen were on the lookout for a scoring front man – most clubs are – and it was Tommy Pearson who signed Donnie for the Granite City side, the transfer deal equating to Donnie going north with Willie Allan and a makeweight financial top up of £7,000 coming south. Tommy Pearson didn’t last long at Pittodrie however with Eddie Turnbull, he of the Hibernian ‘Famous Five’ quintet, taking over. Turnbull pigeon holed Donnie as an out and out winger whereas the former St Mirren man had a playing comfort zone in one of the three inside berths. There was considerable Pittodrie discord over this choice of playing position with Donnie being relegated to the Reserves. He only ever played one Reserve match for The Dons. It was against St Johnstone with Donnie reminding boss Turnbull of his potential with a five goal return from the centre forward berth.

After spells at Heart of Midlothian and Dunfermline Athletic a taste of English football beckoned. Former St Mirren manager Jackie Cox was now the chief Scottish scout for Fulham, his positive recommendation bringing the Craven Cottage manager Bobby Robson north to sign Donnie in a lounge at Glasgow Airport.

Limited appearances for ‘The Cottagers’ saw Donnie off on loan to Lincoln City despite strenuous pleas from Johnny Haynes, the first £100 a week player in England, trying to persuade Bobby Robson not to let him go. He did depart with a further career ending sojourn at Portadown with Gibby McKenzie for two years and a final fling with Shettleston Juniors.