Jack Harkness (footballer)

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This page refers to the Scottish international footballer. For other persons or meanings, see Jack Harkness (disambiguation).

John Diamond Harkness MBE (born 27 September 1907, in Govanhill, Glasgow; died 6 October 1985) was a Scottish international footballer, best remembered as the goalkeeper in the famous "Wembley Wizards" Scotland side of 1928.

1 Club Career
2 International Career
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Club Career

After leaving school aged 18, Harkness joined his local side Queens Park in 1925 and stayed there for three seasons. In line with their Corinthian ideals, he played as an amateur during his spell at Hampden. Despite playing against professional and semi-professional sides, the Spiders managed to maintain a respectable position in Division One and Harkness was soon regarded as a key component in the side.

In May 1928, Heart of Midlothian lured Harkness into the professional ranks, making him their highest paid player in the process. Hearts were frequent top 5 finishers and the increased profile this afforded Harkness allowed him to become a regular international player. The Maroons of this era were a talented yet inconsistent side however, and during his 9 seasons in Gorgie, Harkness failed to win any major honours. A prime example of Hearts' unpredictability was season 1932-33, when both reigning champions Motherwell and eventual champions Rangers were defeated, yet dropped points to lesser sides ensured they only achieved a third place finish.

In 1936-37, Willie Waugh displaced Harkness as Hearts’ regular goalkeeper. After spending the remainder of the season as a reserve, Harkness decided to retire, at the comparatively young age of 29, in order to pursue a career in sports journalism. He wrote for the Sunday Post throughout the 1950s and was awarded an MBE in 1971.

[edit] International Career

In total, Harkness played for Scotland on 12 occasions between 1927, when he made his debut in a 2-0 victory over (Northern) Ireland at Windsor Park, and 1933. Scotland won 8 and lost 4 of these matches, with Harkness twice recording a clean sheet.

In 1928, Harkness was selected for the annual Scotland-England match in the Home Championship, a game which was to become part of Scottish football folklore. An unfancied side, in which the entire forward line measured 5’ 7” or less, recorded a resounding 5-1 triumph and earned the moniker the Wembley Wizards.

[edit] References

Speed, David, Smith, Bill, Blackwood, Graham (1984). Heart of Midlothian Football Club: A Pictorial History 1874-1984. Heart of Midlothian F.C. plc. (ISBN 0-9510 124-1-X).