1957–1958 Douglasdale Years Team | Playing position Name Jim Herriot | |
Date of birth (1939-12-20) 20 December 1939 (age 76) | ||
James Herriot (born 20 December 1939 in Chapelhall, North Lanarkshire) is a Scottish former footballer, who played as a goalkeeper for clubs in Scotland, England and South Africa. Herriot represented both Scotland and the Scottish League XI.
Contents
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 adopted the American Football technique of applying boot polish under and around his eyes to reduce the effects of glare from the sun. Herriot helped Dunfermline reach the 1965 Scottish Cup Final, which they lost 3–2 to Celtic.
Herriot was transferred to Birmingham City for £18,000 in 1965. He 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.