21 Facts About Ernie Hannigan

Ernie Hannigan is perhaps best known for his games at 3 clubs and the partnership he forged with Scotland international centre forward Neil Martin at 2 of them; 147 games at Queen of the South and 47 at Coventry City and for 98 games in between at Preston North End.

Ernie Hannigan kicked off his professional career joining Jimmy McKinnell Junior's Queen of the South in 1961, the Dumfries based club having spotted him playing amateur football in Glasgow with St Roch.

Ernie Hannigan's two remaining seasons at Queens were spent playing top division football.

Teammate Iain McChesney later in an interview reflecting on his 20 years at Queens named Ernie Hannigan as being amongst the best player he played beside.

Ernie Hannigan then scored in the next two matches against Derby County and Cardiff.

Ernie Hannigan had scored 28 goals from 98 appearances for Preston.

Ernie Hannigan scored one goal the following season as Coventry again finished third from bottom, this time one point above Leicester City.

Ernie Hannigan joined Torquay United on loan in December 1969, playing in the draws at home to Reading and Bournemouth, that month before returning to Coventry.

On leaving Coventry in 1970, Ernie Hannigan returned to Scotland with Morton, scoring six times in 32 league games.

Ernie Hannigan then moved abroad by having a short spell in South Africa and United States by joining New York Cosmos in 1971.

In Ernie Hannigan's second spell at Queen of the South in 1972 he would play his last game for the club away to Montrose on 23 September 1972.

Ernie Hannigan's last spell in the UK was with Raith Rovers where he found the net twice in five league games.

Ernie Hannigan then spent one season with Eastern Hong Kong before emigrating to Perth, Western Australia joining Stirling City.

Ernie Hannigan was the recipient of the D'Orsogna 'Fairest and Best' Medal and runners-up in the Rothmans 'Fairest and Best' Medal.

Ernie Hannigan made the first of twelve appearances for the Western Australian State in May 1974 against Scottish side Aberdeen and later played in the side that won the Mara Halim Cup, an international tournament in Indonesia.

Ernie Hannigan gained the reputation as one of the best outside-right's Western Australian fans had seen.

Ernie Hannigan was inducted into the Western Australian Hall of Fame when the Hall of Fame Committee selected the top one hundred players over the past Century.

Ernie Hannigan was one of the 28 1970's players selected in the 'Century of Champions' when the ceremony took place in July 2004.

Ernie Hannigan lived in Perth and owned an industrial cleaning business.

In 2011 Ernie Hannigan took the coach's role at amateur side Perth Celtic in their first season; he guided them to the championship and promotion to division 2.

Ernie Hannigan had been battling cancer and died at the age of 72 on 21 May 2015.