Henry Cunningham (9 January 1898 – 17 September 1972), commonly known as Harry Cunningham and by the nickname Peerie, was a Scottish

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

, initially being deployed on the right wing or in a creative role but later recording a high scoring rate as a central striker. He spent his early years in junior football in

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

before five seasons at

Ayr United Ayr United Football Club are a football club in Ayr, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. Formed in 1910 by the merger of Ayr Parkhouse and Ayr F.C., their nickname is ...

, then six at regional rivals

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...

after Ayr were relegated from the top division in 1925. Cunningham won the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

Scottish Cup Surprise Kilmarnock's Great Victory Over Rangers
The Glasgow Herald, 8 April 1929 and set club records for top seasonal goalscorer in the

Scottish Football League The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km south ...

(34 from 35 appearances) and both major competitions (36 from 39), both in the 1927–28 season; the overall record was soon beaten in 1933 by his replacement in the ''Killie'' side,

Bud Maxwell James Morton "Bud" Maxwell (15 January 1913 – 22 April 1990) was a Scottish footballer who played as a centre forward for Kilmarnock and Preston North End. Club career Born in Kilmarnock, James Morton Maxwell's father of the same name was ...

,Kilmarnock in History: Nibloe's tough exit
Kilmarnock FC, 9 July 2020 while the league record was equalled by

Andy Kerr Andrew Kerr (1878–1969) was an American football coach. Andrew or Andy Kerr may also refer to: * Andrew Kerr (Australian politician) (1837–1907), New South Wales politician *Andrew Kerr (broadcaster), Scottish television presenter and journalis ...

in 1961 (playing one match fewer). At representative level he played in an international trial during his time at Ayr United in 1924,Football , "B" Team, 2; "A" Team, 1.
The Glasgow Herald, 2 April 1924 but never received a full

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

for

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

References

1898 births 1972 deaths Footballers from Irvine, North Ayrshire Men's association football forwards Scottish men's footballers Irvine Meadow XI F.C. players Kilmarnock F.C. players Irvine Victoria F.C. players Ayr United F.C. players Cumnock Juniors F.C. players Scottish Football League players Scottish Junior Football Association players Scotland men's junior international footballers {{Scotland-footy-forward-1890s-stub