Scotland striker and Rangers legend Jim Forrest dies aged 79

Former Rangers and Scotland striker Jim Forrest, the most prolific forward in the club’s post-war history, has died.

The 79-year-old was capped five times for the national team and won the Scottish top flight title twice with the Ibrox club – including a famous Treble.

He also had spells with Aberdeen, Preston North End and San Antonio Thunder.

The Rangers family is today saddened by the loss of former striker, Jim Forrest, at the age of 79.

The thoughts of everyone at Rangers are with Jim’s family and friends.
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) September 27, 2023

Forrest, from Glasgow’s Townhead, joined Rangers as a schoolboy and broke into the first team in 1962. The striker came into a team brimming with talent, playing alongside Willie Henderson, John Greig and Jim Baxter among others, and was a regular goalscorer from the start.

The forward scored 39 times in his debut season, including a four-goal haul against Morton in the 1962 League Cup final. He then netted 57 times the following season, marking him out as one of the most successful post-war strikers in Scottish football history.

Forrest left Rangers for Preston in 1967 and returned north to play for Aberdeen the following year, winning the Scottish Cup during his five-year spell in the city. in the 1970s he travelled the world, playing for Cape Town City, Hong Kong Rangers and San Antonio Thunders before hanging up his boots.

Rangers expressed sadness at Forrest’s passing and described him as “one of the most talented and natural finishers” to play for the Ibrox club.