Harry Rennie

Henry George Rennie (1 June 1873 – 17 March 1954) was a Scottish football goalkeeper who played for Morton, Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian, Rangers, Kilmarnock and the Scotland national team.[2]

Harry Rennie
Personal information
Full name Henry George Rennie[1]
Date of birth (1873-06-01)1 June 1873
Place of birth Greenock, Scotland
Date of death 17 March 1954(1954-03-17) (aged 80)
Place of death Greenock, Scotland
Playing position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Volunteers
Bellgrove Ramblers
Greenock West End
1895–1898 Morton 39 (0)
1898–1900 Heart of Midlothian 36 (0)
1900–1908 Hibernian 196 (0)
1908–1910 Rangers 33 (0)
1910 → Morton (loan)  1 (0)
1910–1911 Kilmarnock  32 (0)
1911–1912 Morton  1 (0)
Total 338 (2)
National team
1900–1908 Scotland 13 (0)
1900–1908 Scottish League XI 7 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Born in Greenock, Rennie started his career as a half-back with local Junior sides Volunteers, Bellgrove Ramblers and Greenock Junior West End.[3] His early talent earned him selection for the Scottish Junior International side and eventually a move to Scottish Football League Division Two Morton, where he belatedly became a goalkeeper in 1897, at the age of 23.[4]

Rennie introduced several innovative concepts to goalkeeping in Scottish football. He was the first to demark his goal area to assist him with judging angles,[3] while he also pioneered the study of opposing forwards gestures and body-language as they prepared to shoot.[4] His scientific approach quickly brought him to national prominence and he signed for First Division Hearts in 1898 for £50. During two seasons at Tynecastle, he helped the Edinburgh side to second and fourth place League finishes and also made his international debut for Scotland.

In 1900, Hearts agreed Rennie's transfer to Celtic, however a problem with his contract ensured he never officially joined the Glasgow club.[3] Instead, he signed for Hearts' city rivals Hibernian, where he became an important figure in one of the most successful eras in the club's history. He helped them to claim the 1901-02 Scottish Cup, defeating Celtic 1–0 in the final, with contemporary match reports crediting him with several notable saves.[5] Hibs triumphed despite the final being played at Celtic Park, the home ground of their opponents, as a result of Ibrox's unavailability following the partial terracing collapse which occurred during the annual Scotland v England match two weeks earlier.[6] The following year, Rennie helped Hibs to their first ever League title.[7] Rennie and captain Bobby Atherton were the only two players to appear in every match during that campaign.[7]

Hibs couldn't retain this level of success in the following years but Rennie remained a frequent choice as Scotland goalkeeper. He won 13 caps in total between 1900 and 1908, recording 4 clean sheets in the process. He also made seven appearances for the SFL representative side.[8] He joined Rangers in 1908 and appeared for them in the infamous 1909 Scottish Cup Final, which was abandoned after crowd trouble involving rival Celtic and Rangers fans. Aside from brief emergency appearances for Morton, his last move was to Kilmarnock in 1910, where he retired short of his fortieth birthday.

Rennie's innovative approach to goalkeeping had earned him many admirers and after his playing retirement he maintained an interest in the game by mentoring prospective young goalkeepers. His most famous disciple was 1940s Morton and Scotland goalkeeper Jimmy Cowan.[4]

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References
  1. (Scotland player) Harry Rennie, London Hearts Supporters Club
  2. John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. Lamming, Douglas (1987). A Scottish Soccer Internationalists Who's Who, 1872–1986 (Hardback). Hutton Press. (ISBN 0-907033-47-4).
  4. Cairney, John (2004). A Scottish Football Hall of Fame (Paperback). Mainstream Sport. ISBN 1-84018-920-7.
  5. "Can 104-year jinx finally be broken?". The Scotsman. 1 April 2006.
  6. "99 years and counting". BBC Sport. BBC. 23 May 2001.
  7. "Scottish Championship Winning Teams: 1900–1920". RSSSF.
  8. "[SFL player] Harry Rennie". london Hearts Supporters' Club.
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