Ernie McGarr
Encyclopedia
Ernest "Ernie" McGarr is a Scottish
former professional footballer, who played as a goalkeeper for several clubs in the Scottish Football League and was capped twice for the Scotland national side
.
in 1965 from Junior
club Kilbirnie Ladeside
, and made his first team debut at the end of the 1965–66 season in a friendly match versus Crystal Palace
. The presence of Bobby Clark
as his rival for the goalkeeping position at Pittodrie meant that first team opportunities in the early years were limited. It was only during the 1968–69 season, when a loss of form by Clark prompted manager Eddie Turnbull
to give him a chance, that McGarr was able to stake his claim and secure a regular starting position.
Such was the impact that McGarr made, Scottish internationalist Clark could not regain his position, even appearing as an outfield player on two occasions. McGarr's form was itself recognised with an international call-up for a friendly game in September 1969 against the Republic of Ireland
. Unfortunately, he went into the game carrying an injury picked up from a club match the previous day and only lasted 35 minutes before being substituted for Jim Herriot
. He made one further appearance for the national team in November the same year, versus Austria
in a FIFA World Cup
qualifying match however Scotland were already unable to qualify and lost 2–0.
McGarr again lost his place in the Aberdeen side to Bobby Clark in early 1970 and later that year tabled a transfer request, eventually moving to Dunfermline Athletic
in January 1971. From Dunfermline, McGarr moved to East Fife
where he spent five seasons. A highlight of his spell at Bayview was a game against title chasing Celtic
in February 1973 where he saved three penalty kicks in an entertaining 2–2 draw. He later played for Cowdenbeath
, Airdrieonians
and Berwick Rangers
before finishing his career in Fife
Junior football.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
former professional footballer, who played as a goalkeeper for several clubs in the Scottish Football League and was capped twice for the Scotland national side
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
.
Playing career
McGarr signed for AberdeenAberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
in 1965 from Junior
Scottish Junior Football Association
The Scottish Junior Football Association is an affiliated national association of the Scottish Football Association and is the governing body for the Junior grade of football in Scotland. The term "Junior" refers to the level of football played...
club Kilbirnie Ladeside
Kilbirnie Ladeside F.C.
Kilbirnie Ladeside are a Scottish football club, from Kilbirnie, North Ayrshire. Based at Valefield Park, they are members of the Scottish Junior Football Association and currently play in the West Super League Premier Division. Their main rivals are Beith Juniors...
, and made his first team debut at the end of the 1965–66 season in a friendly match versus Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
. The presence of Bobby Clark
Bobby Clark (footballer)
Robert "Bobby" Clark is a former Scottish football goalkeeper. Clark graduated from Jordanhill College in Glasgow, Scotland in 1967 with a degree in Physical Education.- Playing career :...
as his rival for the goalkeeping position at Pittodrie meant that first team opportunities in the early years were limited. It was only during the 1968–69 season, when a loss of form by Clark prompted manager Eddie Turnbull
Eddie Turnbull
Edward Hunter Turnbull was a Scottish professional football player and manager.During the late 1940s and 1950s he was one of the Famous Five, the noted Hibernian forward line, along with Gordon Smith, Bobby Johnstone, Lawrie Reilly, and Willie Ormond...
to give him a chance, that McGarr was able to stake his claim and secure a regular starting position.
Such was the impact that McGarr made, Scottish internationalist Clark could not regain his position, even appearing as an outfield player on two occasions. McGarr's form was itself recognised with an international call-up for a friendly game in September 1969 against the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
. Unfortunately, he went into the game carrying an injury picked up from a club match the previous day and only lasted 35 minutes before being substituted for Jim Herriot
Jim Herriot
James "Jim" Herriot is a former Scottish international footballer, who played as a goalkeeper for clubs in both Scotland and England.-Career:...
. He made one further appearance for the national team in November the same year, versus Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
in a FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
qualifying match however Scotland were already unable to qualify and lost 2–0.
McGarr again lost his place in the Aberdeen side to Bobby Clark in early 1970 and later that year tabled a transfer request, eventually moving to Dunfermline Athletic
Dunfermline Athletic F.C.
Dunfermline Athletic Football Club are a Scottish football team based in Dunfermline, Fife, commonly known as just Dunfermline. They currently compete in the Scottish Premier League....
in January 1971. From Dunfermline, McGarr moved to East Fife
East Fife F.C.
East Fife Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the Fife coastal town of Methil...
where he spent five seasons. A highlight of his spell at Bayview was a game against title chasing Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
in February 1973 where he saved three penalty kicks in an entertaining 2–2 draw. He later played for Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath F.C.
Cowdenbeath Football Club are a professional Scottish football team based in the town of Cowdenbeath, Fife. They currently play in the Second Division of the Scottish Football League. The club plays its home games at Central Park in the centre of the town which has the unusual feature of a motor...
, Airdrieonians
Airdrieonians F.C.
Airdrieonians Football Club, more commonly known as Airdrie, were a Scottish professional football team from the town of Airdrie, in the Monklands area of Lanarkshire....
and Berwick Rangers
Berwick Rangers F.C.
Berwick Rangers Football Club are a football team based in the English Border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, although they play in the Scottish Football League Third Division...
before finishing his career in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
Junior football.