Kinnear David Image 1 Glasgow Rangers 1938

Description

Kirkaldy, Fife born outside left David Kinnear began his football career with Burntisland United from where he joined Raith Rovers, where he scored 14 goals in 21 matches in their 1933-34 campaign prompting Rangers manager Bill Struth to sign him that summer. He made his debut for Rangers against Dundee in a league match which ended in a 3-2 defeat on 25th August 1934, and only made four appearances in the 1934–35 season. His first goal came a season later  against Albion Rovers on 14th August 1935.

In 1936 he established himself as a first team regular and he was soon rewarded with a Scottish League cap when he played in a 2-0 defeat to The Football League at Goodison Park in October 1936. He gained his one and only Scotland cap in an international challenge match against Czechoslovakia on 8th February 1937, in which he scored, and played again for The Scottish League in a 3-1 defeat to The Football League at Molineux in November 1938. He scored 32 goals in 109 matches for Rangers up to the outbreak of the Second World War, winning two Scottish League Championships, one Glasgow Cup and one Charity Cup. Along with Alex Venters, Kinnear scored in front of the all-time record crowd at Ibrox in a 2-1 victory over Old Firm rivals Celtic.

He continued to play for Rangers in wartime matches until 1944, while serving with the British Army in the Army Physical Training Corps, and also enjoyed wartime spells with Third Lanark, Dunfermline Athletic and Stirling Albion. After the War he joined Third Lanark in May 1946 but made just 4 appearances for The Warriors before a move to Dunfermline Athletic later the same year, where he stayed 3 years scoring 16 goals in 65 matches for The Pars. He finished his playing career with a season at Stirling Albion in 1949-50 but only played 3 matches, He returned to Ibrox in 1956 as physiotherapist and had a hand in the transfer of Harold Davis to the club, having worked with him as a patient. He later became a trainer under Scot Symon but left the club in 1970 when manager William Waddell replaced his backroom staff.