Alexander Venters (9 June 1913 – 30 April 1959) was a Scottish footballer, who played for Cowdenbeath, Rangers and Scotland.[1]
Personal information | |||
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Full name | Alexander Venters[1] | ||
Date of birth | 9 June 1913 | ||
Place of birth | Cowdenbeath, Scotland | ||
Date of death | 30 April 1959(1959-04-30) (aged 45)[1] | ||
Place of death | Cowdenbeath, Scotland[1] | ||
Position(s) | Inside forward | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
South End Rovers | |||
0000–1930 | St Andrews United | ||
1930–1933 | Cowdenbeath | 96 | (36) |
1933–1946 | Rangers | 175 | (89) |
1946–1947 | Third Lanark | 8 | (2) |
1947–1948 | Blackburn Rovers | ||
1948 | Raith Rovers | 4 | (0) |
National team | |||
1933–1939 | Scotland | 3 | (0) |
1935–1939 | Scottish League XI | 4 | (1) |
1940–1943 | Scotland (wartime) | 4 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Alex Venters, an inside forward, joined Rangers in November 1933 after his first club Cowdenbeath.[2] He spent a total of 13 years at Ibrox Park, winning three Scottish league titles (1935, 1937 and 1939), two Scottish Cups (1935, 1936) and scoring 102 goals in 201 appearances.[3] 18 of these 102 goals came against Celtic in various competitions.[4] In the last season before association football was suspended due to World War II (1939) Venters was top scorer in the Scottish First Division (35 goals).[5] Venters was also a prolific scorer during World War II; however, as these games were unofficial, his additional 53 wartime goals cannot be added to his official goalscoring record.[6]
After the war, Venters played for Third Lanark, Blackburn Rovers and ended his career with Raith Rovers.[7][8][9]
Between 1933 and 1939 he won three caps for Scotland, the first of which was against Ireland in 1933 while with Cowdenbeath. He won a further two official caps (both in matches against England) while at Rangers, in 1936 and 1939. He also played in four wartime internationals.[10]
In 1959 he died prematurely from a heart attack at the age of 45.[11]
Due to his prolific goalscoring in the 1930s and his great record in Old Firm matches he became a member of the Rangers Hall of Fame in 2006.
Venters' father Sandy and brothers Andrew and Jock were also footballers.[12]
Scottish league football top division top scorers | |
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League | |
Division One |
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Division A | |
Division One | |
Premier Division |
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SPL | |
Premiership |
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Players |
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Managers |
Rangers F.C. – Hall of Fame | ||
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