Football Adventures with James Rendall
My football adventures all over the world
From Tynecastle to AZ Picerno's compact Stadio Donato Curio, it's my journey from my first cancha to number four hundred. I was doubtlessly lifted over the turnstiles as a wee lad, certainly for that first match in October 1982 for a match-up between Hearts and Arbroath. I have no idea when getting 'lifted over' stopped … Continue reading IL QUATTROCENTO
Something was rumbling over the summer in the Highland Capital of Scotland. By the time league football returned, the name Thistle was attached to two Inverness club names. In the run-up to the 1994/95 bid to join the Scottish League, an acrimonious merger was happening between Caledonian FC and Inverness Thistle. It was the right … Continue reading A Tale of Two Thistles
In early June 2016, doubtlessly in a pique of boredom I decided to go and have a look at New Central Park, home at that particular time to Junior side Kelty Hearts. I used to work beside a Fife chap, Gordy, who, if he wasn’t at the San Starko, would frequent the Junior grounds in … Continue reading 1, 2, 3 – No.3- Kelty
The fickle Scot and our perception of distance. Especially top-flight central belt fans, trips to Aberdeen were bad enough, but the introduction of Highland sides to their cosy club was a trek too far for some. From my own perspective, having friends from “big” countries, these journeys are nothing. Try Jujuy to Bahia Blanca in … Continue reading 1,2,3 – No.2- Stranraer
An idea came to me on Saturday driving back from Stranraer. Why not, when visiting a well known venue on a Saturday, write a short blog piece with tales from my three favourite games there. I will make that happen, with Stair Park getting the first outing, when I head that way again, a week … Continue reading 1,2,3 – No.1-(ICT v Celtic)
There was a time when the last whistle of the last game of the season would signal at least a 6 - or 8-week hiatus action. That gap would every two years get filled by a World Cup or European Championship, but those days are gone. The “International” calendar is a never ending 12 month … Continue reading Blurred Lines
The conclusion of my skip around my favourite European moments from 1976 to date. As we have discovered, it was a pretty slow burner, with the first three games listed in part one, all forming the first three games I ever saw. They span more than a decade. By the mid nineties, things were picking … Continue reading In Europe (part two)
As I am nearing 50 years of watching European football, well okay, a year shy in 2025, but it still got me thinking of which of those jousts I have viewed have stood the test of time, and indeed, are never likely to be forgotten. Stripping out the friendlies, which include Hamilton versus IBK Keflavik … Continue reading In Europe, (part one)
The annual Scottish Groundhop, always an early signal of spring, and the downward slope to the season’s conclusion. The weather at these gigs hasn’t always been warm sunshine and fine sunsets though. Indeed, togging down at Glenrothes one giddy Saturday morning due the temperature rising was a rare climate high for these occasions, where waterlogged … Continue reading Hop to it ’25
The village of Brora, with a population of just over 1,200 is perhaps an unlikely recent success story in Scotland’s Highland League. Having been going for over 135 years without a title, to now sit with four on their CV is testimony to a remarkable turnaround. Given the size of the village, for many a … Continue reading Brora Brora
Football Adventures with James Rendall 
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