Jamie Patrick McCunnie (born 15 April 1983) is a Scottish
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
referee and former player. His previous clubs include
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish professional association football, football club based in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923. United are nickname ...
,
Ross County and
Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.
They were founded in 190 ...
. He represented Scotland at
under-21 and
B international levels. McCunnie managed the Abertay University Men's 1st team for the 2019–20 season and was also the player-manager of
Scottish Junior Football East Region Super League
The Scottish Junior Football Association East Region Premiership, also known for sponsorship reasons as the McBookie.com East Premiership, was the highest division of the East Region of the Scottish Junior Football Association. From its incepti ...
team
Broughty Athletic.
Playing career
McCunnie began his senior career with
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish professional association football, football club based in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923. United are nickname ...
at youth level, signing for them professionally in 1999. Normally featuring as a
right back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categ ...
at this stage of his career, he was given his first team début for United away to
Hibernian in December 2000. Despite McCunnie being aged only 17 at the time, manager
Alex Smith
Alexander Douglas Smith (born May 7, 1984) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He played college football for the Utah Utes, earning first-team All-American ho ...
was sufficiently impressed by his performances to keep him as a regular first team player for the rest of
that season, helping the club climb successfully out of relegation and reach a
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,[Tannadice
Tannadice Park, officially known as The CalForth Construction Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Dundee, Scotland. It is the home ground of Dundee United F.C., who have played at Tannadice since the club was founded as Du ...](_blank)
club, while also making his début for
Scotland under-21 side against
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
.
At this time, McCunnie was rated as one of the best young players in
Scottish football
Association football is one of the national sports of Scotland and the most popular sport in the country. There is a long tradition of "football" games in Orkney, Lewis and southern Scotland, especially the Scottish Borders, although many of ...
. However, despite featuring regularly for Dundee United over the next two seasons and becoming
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
of the Scotland under-21s, he began to lose consistency from his form.
Ian McCall had become manager of Dundee United early in 2003, and seemingly unimpressed by the player's attitude, soon made it known to McCunnie that he was willing to dispense with his services. The somewhat surprised player found himself offloaded to
First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to:
Military
Airborne divisions
*1st Parachute Division (Germany)
*1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom)
* 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine)
* 1st Guards Airborne Division
Armoured divisions
*1st Armoure ...
side
Ross County, where his former mentor Alex Smith was now manager, in June 2003. McCunnie spent two seasons playing for the
Dingwall
Dingwall (, ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland.
Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north ...
club, during which time he was converted from right back to a defensive midfield role. His Ross County contract was due to expire in 2005 and he was keen to seek a return to a higher level of football, with a move to
English football
Football is the most popular sport in England. Widely regarded as the birthplace of modern football, the first official rules of the game were established in England in 1863. The country is home to the world's first football league, the oldest ...
a distinct possibility. He was widely expected to join
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
following a successful trial, but the move ultimately fell through, and a trial with
Gillingham was also unproductive. Instead, McCunnie was able to secure himself a return to the
top flight of Scottish football, signing for
Dunfermline Athletic
Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently compete in the after winning the 2022–23 Scottish League One title. Dunfermline play at ...
in August 2005. He has established himself as a regular first team player, despite an injury absence early in his Dunfermline career, resulting from an assault outside a
Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
nightclub.
McCunnie joined
Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.
They were founded in 190 ...
on 15 June 2007 on a
free transfer, preferring the move to a contract extension, which he was widely expected to sign. On 6 May 2009, he was released by Hartlepool after being deemed surplus to requirements. He signed for
East Fife for the
2009–10 season, but was released once the season had finished.
He then moved to Iceland, playing with
Haukar
Knattspyrnufélagið Haukar (, ) is an Icelandic multi-sport club from Hafnarfjörður with divisions in Association football, Football, Haukar Handball, Handball, Basketball, Haukar RC, Rugby union, Karate, Skiing & Chess.
Club history
The clu ...
,
Grindavik and
Íþróttafélag Reykjavíkur
Íþróttafélag Reykjavíkur (, ), commonly known as ÍR, is an Icelandic multi-sport club, based in the suburb of Breiðholt in Reykjavík. It has teams in football, handball, basketball, athletics, tenpin bowling, skiing, karate, taekwondo and ...
. In March 2012, he returned to Scotland and signed for
Stirling Albion
Stirling Albion Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Stirling. The club was founded in 1945 following the demise of King's Park after World War II. The club currently competes in as a member of the Scottish Profession ...
.
Managerial career
In the 2019–20 season, McCunnie managed the Abertay University Men's 1st team.
After leaving Stirling Albion, McCunnie signed for
Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
-based
junior
Junior or Juniors may refer to:
Aircraft
* Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft
* PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft
* SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider
Arts and entertainment Characters
* Bowser Jr., ...
club
Broughty Athletic. He took over as the club's caretaker manager in August 2017, following the resignation of previous manager Keith Gibson, then was appointed as interim for a second time in the same season after the resignation of Gibsons successor, Jim Finlayson in January 2018.
On 28 February 2018, McCunnie became first team manager at
Broughty Athletic.
Refereeing career
At the start of the
2020 coronavirus lockdown in Scotland, McCunnie qualified as a referee. Initially refereeing at grassroots level, McCunnie began refereeing
Highland League games from the start of the 2022–23 season.
Personal life
In March 2022, McCunnie was left scarred for life after he was attacked in an over-35s league match.
Career statistics
''After 25 October 2008''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCunnie, Jamie
1983 births
Footballers from Glasgow
Living people
Men's association football fullbacks
Men's association football midfielders
Scottish men's footballers
Scotland men's under-21 international footballers
Scotland men's B international footballers
Scottish football referees
Dundee United F.C. players
Ross County F.C. players
Dunfermline Athletic F.C. players
Hartlepool United F.C. players
ÍR men's football players
Grindavík (men's football) players
Stirling Albion F.C. players
Expatriate men's footballers in Iceland
Scottish expatriate men's footballers
Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Iceland
Scottish Premier League players
Scottish Football League players
English Football League players
East Fife F.C. players
Broughty Athletic F.C. players
Scottish Junior Football Association managers
Scottish football managers
Úrvalsdeild karla (football) players
Broughty Athletic F.C. managers
21st-century Scottish sportsmen