The Rangers legend who became the English top division's oldest debutant and won the FA Cup as a manager

dh1963

Well-Known Member
Andy Cunningham was born in Galston in Ayrshire in January 1890, and started his illustrious football career as a junior with Newmilns FC. An elegant and strong running inside right, his ability was quickly apparent, and he appeared for the Scotland team at junior level before being signed by his local club Kilmarnock in 1909.

By the time he was snapped up by Rangers in April 1915, the club were getting a ready made first team player who had scored over 70 goals for the Ayrshire side.

Cunningham's Rangers debut wasn't the most impressive start to an Ibrox career, a 1-0 home loss to Partick Thistle on April 5th 1915, just days after he signed. However, he quickly settled into life at Ibrox and scored his first Rangers goal in only his 3rd appearance, a 4-0 win over Queen's Park at Hampden on the final day of the 1914/15 season. The following season saw the name of Andrew Cunningham listed in 20 league starts, a season where inconsistency prevented Rangers from mounting a sustained challenge against title holders Celtic, despite Cunningham's hugely impressive 18 league goals. A highlight of these was the opening strike in the New Year fixture at Parkhead, a game that ended 2-2. Over his entire Rangers career, Andy Cunningham enjoyed a great record against Celtic, scoring 12 times against them in 35 appearances.

Andy Cunningham's Rangers career went on hold in 1916 when he was called up for active service, one of many great Rangers players of the time to serve his country in the Great War. He returned to the team briefly towards the end of season 1917/18 before fully resuming his Rangers career in season 1918/19.

However, it was the following season when the Cunningham finally won his first Scottish league winners medal, as William Wilton's Rangers lost only 2 games in the league all season to reclaim the title from Celtic. This was also Cunningham's most prolific season to date, the fair haired inside right claiming 23 goals in 39 starts and finishing the season as the club's top goalscorer. Despite these stats, Cunningham was as renowned as a goal maker and creator of chances as he was in scoring them, his fearsome right wing partnership with Sandy Archibald now firmly established as one that struck fear into every opponent.

1919/20 was also the first in a series of crushing disappointments for Cunningham in the Scottish Cup, when somehow the virtually unbeatable Rangers crashed out in a semi-final second replay to an Albion Rovers team who finished bottom of the league, this after beating Celtic in the previous round.

That Scottish Cup heartache was to continue, with Andy Cunningham playing in the 1920 and 1921 finals, both of which Rangers started as overwhelming favourites, but both were lost, to Partick Thistle and then to Morton. The club seemed jinxed in the nation's premier cup tournament, having last won it back in 1903. There was other more tragic news in the summer of 1920, when manager Wilton, who had been such a massive influence on Cunningham's career, died in a boating accident. This heralded the appointment of William Struth, and Rangers went on in the 1920s to totally dominate Scottish football with Andy Cunningham a key figure.

League titles were won with regularity, Andy Cunningham claiming his seventh medal when the title was won in 1927/28. He started more than 30 league games for Rangers in every season from 1919/20 through to season 1927/28, with just one exception when he played in 29 games in 1926/27 thanks to a period of injury.

Despite the many triumphs and great personal performances, time appeared to be running out by now on adding that elusive Scottish Cup medal to his collection. The 1928 Scottish Cup run to the final saw Andy Cunningham net 3 times, the most important being the only goal at Cliftonhill to see off Albion Rovers in a very tight and nervous match. On April 14th 1928, just over 13 years after joining the club and at the age of 38, Andy Cunningham finally won the medal he wanted most. In a famous and historic occasion, Rangers finally buried their Scottish Cup hoodoo in style, hammering 4 second half goals into the Celtic net to win 4-0 and send the blue half of the 118,000 crowd into wild celebrations. Although not among the scorers, Cunningham was a vital player on the day, and he celebrated with as much passion and joy as any on the terraces. The season was rounded off the following weekend when Rangers won their first ever League and Scottish Cup double, when Kilmarnock were crushed 5-1 at Ibrox. Man of the Match was Andy Cunningham, who scored twice.

Cunningham played 12 times for the Scotland national team, scoring 5 times for his country. Probably the most satisfying of these would have been a sweet strike at Hampden in a very impressive 3-0 win over England in 1921. Scotland only lost 1 match with Andy Cunningham on the field.

Andy Cunningham played just 9 times in season 1928/29, his final Rangers appearance being on January 26th 1929, when typically he signed off with a goal in a 2-0 win. This sounds like the end of an amazing career, but incredibly he went on to set more records.

He left Ibrox for Newcastle United days after his final scoring appearance for Rangers, and became the oldest debutant in English top division history at the age of nearly 39. The following season he set another record, when he became the first ever Player-manager in English football when he took over the managerial role at St. James' Park. The highlight of his managerial career came in 1932 when he guided Newcastle to victory in the FA cup. He managed Newcastle until 1935 by which time they had suffered relegation from the top division, and made a return to Scottish football 2 years later when appointed manager at Dundee. After World War 2, he then enjoyed another successful career as a sportswriter.

In 1973, one of Rangers' great players and a man who made an indelible mark in the history of British football, passed away at the age of 83. He died on Sunday May 6th, perhaps it was fitting that the previous day Rangers had defeated Celtic in another classic Scottish Cup Final.

Andy Cunningham, Rangers FC 1915 - 1929
Competitive Appearances 389
All appearances 426
Goals (total) 195
7 League Championships
1 Scottish Cup
12 Scotland caps
Member of Rangers Hall of Fame

Greatness lives forever.
 
It's funny how the youngest player rates a mention, but the oldest is never thought of?

That is a career and a half Mr Cunningham enjoyed. And he was still kicking a ball for us in his Eighties!

 
Andy Cunningham was born in Galston in Ayrshire in January 1890, and started his illustrious football career as a junior with Newmilns FC. An elegant and strong running inside right, his ability was quickly apparent, and he appeared for the Scotland team at junior level before being signed by his local club Kilmarnock in 1909.

By the time he was snapped up by Rangers in April 1915, the club were getting a ready made first team player who had scored over 70 goals for the Ayrshire side.

Cunningham's Rangers debut wasn't the most impressive start to an Ibrox career, a 1-0 home loss to Partick Thistle on April 5th 1915, just days after he signed. However, he quickly settled into life at Ibrox and scored his first Rangers goal in only his 3rd appearance, a 4-0 win over Queen's Park at Hampden on the final day of the 1914/15 season. The following season saw the name of Andrew Cunningham listed in 20 league starts, a season where inconsistency prevented Rangers from mounting a sustained challenge against title holders Celtic, despite Cunningham's hugely impressive 18 league goals. A highlight of these was the opening strike in the New Year fixture at Parkhead, a game that ended 2-2. Over his entire Rangers career, Andy Cunningham enjoyed a great record against Celtic, scoring 12 times against them in 35 appearances.

Andy Cunningham's Rangers career went on hold in 1916 when he was called up for active service, one of many great Rangers players of the time to serve his country in the Great War. He returned to the team briefly towards the end of season 1917/18 before fully resuming his Rangers career in season 1918/19.

However, it was the following season when the Cunningham finally won his first Scottish league winners medal, as William Wilton's Rangers lost only 2 games in the league all season to reclaim the title from Celtic. This was also Cunningham's most prolific season to date, the fair haired inside right claiming 23 goals in 39 starts and finishing the season as the club's top goalscorer. Despite these stats, Cunningham was as renowned as a goal maker and creator of chances as he was in scoring them, his fearsome right wing partnership with Sandy Archibald now firmly established as one that struck fear into every opponent.

1919/20 was also the first in a series of crushing disappointments for Cunningham in the Scottish Cup, when somehow the virtually unbeatable Rangers crashed out in a semi-final second replay to an Albion Rovers team who finished bottom of the league, this after beating Celtic in the previous round.

That Scottish Cup heartache was to continue, with Andy Cunningham playing in the 1920 and 1921 finals, both of which Rangers started as overwhelming favourites, but both were lost, to Partick Thistle and then to Morton. The club seemed jinxed in the nation's premier cup tournament, having last won it back in 1903. There was other more tragic news in the summer of 1920, when manager Wilton, who had been such a massive influence on Cunningham's career, died in a boating accident. This heralded the appointment of William Struth, and Rangers went on in the 1920s to totally dominate Scottish football with Andy Cunningham a key figure.

League titles were won with regularity, Andy Cunningham claiming his seventh medal when the title was won in 1927/28. He started more than 30 league games for Rangers in every season from 1919/20 through to season 1927/28, with just one exception when he played in 29 games in 1926/27 thanks to a period of injury.

Despite the many triumphs and great personal performances, time appeared to be running out by now on adding that elusive Scottish Cup medal to his collection. The 1928 Scottish Cup run to the final saw Andy Cunningham net 3 times, the most important being the only goal at Cliftonhill to see off Albion Rovers in a very tight and nervous match. On April 14th 1928, just over 13 years after joining the club and at the age of 38, Andy Cunningham finally won the medal he wanted most. In a famous and historic occasion, Rangers finally buried their Scottish Cup hoodoo in style, hammering 4 second half goals into the Celtic net to win 4-0 and send the blue half of the 118,000 crowd into wild celebrations. Although not among the scorers, Cunningham was a vital player on the day, and he celebrated with as much passion and joy as any on the terraces. The season was rounded off the following weekend when Rangers won their first ever League and Scottish Cup double, when Kilmarnock were crushed 5-1 at Ibrox. Man of the Match was Andy Cunningham, who scored twice.

Cunningham played 12 times for the Scotland national team, scoring 5 times for his country. Probably the most satisfying of these would have been a sweet strike at Hampden in a very impressive 3-0 win over England in 1921. Scotland only lost 1 match with Andy Cunningham on the field.

Andy Cunningham played just 9 times in season 1928/29, his final Rangers appearance being on January 26th 1929, when typically he signed off with a goal in a 2-0 win. This sounds like the end of an amazing career, but incredibly he went on to set more records.

He left Ibrox for Newcastle United days after his final scoring appearance for Rangers, and became the oldest debutant in English top division history at the age of nearly 39. The following season he set another record, when he became the first ever Player-manager in English football when he took over the managerial role at St. James' Park. The highlight of his managerial career came in 1932 when he guided Newcastle to victory in the FA cup. He managed Newcastle until 1935 by which time they had suffered relegation from the top division, and made a return to Scottish football 2 years later when appointed manager at Dundee. After World War 2, he then enjoyed another successful career as a sportswriter.

In 1973, one of Rangers' great players and a man who made an indelible mark in the history of British football, passed away at the age of 83. He died on Sunday May 6th, perhaps it was fitting that the previous day Rangers had defeated Celtic in another classic Scottish Cup Final.

Andy Cunningham, Rangers FC 1915 - 1929
Competitive Appearances 389
All appearances 426
Goals (total) 195
7 League Championships
1 Scottish Cup
12 Scotland caps
Member of Rangers Hall of Fame

Greatness lives forever.


Another great read.
 
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