Alex Venters

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Alex Venters

| fullname = Alexander Venters

| birth_date = 9 June 1913

| birth_place = Cowdenbeath, Scotland

| death_date = {{death date and age|1959|4|30|1913|6|9|df=y}}

| death_place = Cowdenbeath, Scotland

| position = Inside forward

| years1 =

| clubs1 = South End Rovers

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| years2 = {{0|0000}}–1930

| clubs2 = St Andrews United

| caps2 =

| goals2 =

| years3 = 1930–1933

| clubs3 = Cowdenbeath

| caps3 = 96

| goals3 = 36

| years4 = 1933–1946

| clubs4 = Rangers

| caps4 = 175

| goals4 = 89

| years5 = 1946–1947

| clubs5 = Third Lanark

| caps5 = 8

| goals5 = 2

| years6 = 1947–1948

| clubs6 = Blackburn Rovers

| caps6 =

| goals6 =

| years7 = 1948

| clubs7 = Raith Rovers

| caps7 = 4

| goals7 = 0

| nationalyears1 = 1933–1939

| nationalteam1 = Scotland

| nationalcaps1 = 3

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| nationalyears2 = 1935–1939

| nationalteam2 = Scottish League XI

| nationalcaps2 = 4

| nationalgoals2 = 1

| nationalyears3 = 1940–1943

| nationalteam3 = Scotland (wartime)

| nationalcaps3 = 4

| nationalgoals3 = 1

}}

Alexander Venters (9 June 1913 – 30 April 1959) was a Scottish footballer, who played for Cowdenbeath, Rangers and Scotland.{{Hugman|id=20148|access-date=30 December 2018}}

Career

Alex Venters, an inside forward, joined Rangers in November 1933 after his first club Cowdenbeath.{{Cite book |title=Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players |last=Litster |first=John |publisher=PM Publications |location=Norwich}} 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.{{Cite web |url=http://vintagefootballers.com/product/udall-ted-image-1-derby-county-1934-copy/ |title=Venters Alec Image 1 Cowdenbeath 1932 |website=Vintage Footballers |language=en-GB |access-date=30 December 2018}} 18 of these 102 goals came against Celtic in various competitions.Rangers.co.uk: [http://www.rangers.co.uk/club/history/hall-of-fame/item/541-alex-venters History: Alex Venters] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220202102/http://www.rangers.co.uk/club/history/hall-of-fame/item/541-alex-venters |date=20 December 2013 }} 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).{{cite web| website=Scottish-Football-Historical-Archive.com| url=http://scottish-football-historical-archive.com/goalscorers.htm| title=Top Goalscorers per division| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927095915/http://scottish-football-historical-archive.com/goalscorers.htm |archive-date=27 September 2012}} 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.FriendsOfRangers.co.uk: [http://www.friendsofrangers.co.uk/1764.html Legends In Blue] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224114623/http://www.friendsofrangers.co.uk/1764.html |date=24 December 2013 }}

After the war, Venters played for Third Lanark, Blackburn Rovers and ended his career with Raith Rovers.National-Football-Teams.com: [http://www.national-football-teams.com/player/35169/Alex_Venters.html Alex Venters]Weltfussball.de: [http://www.weltfussball.de/player_summary/alex-venters/ Alex Venters] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20131221221311/http://www.weltfussball.de/player_summary/alex-venters/ |date=21 December 2013 }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.scottish-football-historical-archive.co.uk/Appearance%20Records%20-%20T%20-%20V.doc |title=Scottish Football Historical Archive – Scottish League appearance records – TUV |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822223810/http://www.scottish-football-historical-archive.co.uk/Appearance%20Records%20-%20T%20-%20V.doc |archive-date=22 August 2017 |url-status=dead |access-date=30 December 2018}}

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.LondonHearts.com: [http://www.londonhearts.com/scotland/players/alexanderventers.html Alexander Venters]

In 1959 he died prematurely from a heart attack at the age of 45.Rangerspedia: [http://www.rangerspedia.org/index.php/Venters,_Alex Venters, Alex]

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.

Personal life

Venters' father Sandy and brothers Andrew and Jock were also footballers.{{Cite web |url=https://www.centralfifetimes.com/sport/16361012.hometown-heroes-local-footballers-in-profile-no-17-the-venters-family/ |title=Hometown Heroes (Local Footballers in Profile) – No. 17 – The Venters Family |website=Central Fife Times |language=en |access-date=30 December 2018}}