Today marks ten years since Luton Town made history as the first Non-League club to knock Premier League opposition out of the FA Cup – and the goalscorer on that glorious day at Norwich, Scott Rendell, says he is proud to keep telling his 10-year-old son about the “best moment” of his career!
Ahead of Saturday’s fourth round Emirates FA Cup tie with Grimsby, we caught up with the man who wrote his and the Hatters’ name into the record books of the world’s greatest cup competition at the same stage on January 26th, 2013.
Rendell came off the bench in the 74th minute as manager Paul Buckle made a double change at Carrow Road, throwing Rendell and fellow striker Stuart Fleetwood into the action in place of Jon Shaw and Andre Gray, moments after introducing midfielder JJ O’Donnell for Arnaud Mendy.
With the score goalless, all three game changers combined as Fleetwood set O’Donnell racing down the left to cut back for former Cambridge United, Peterborough and Wycombe hitman Rendell to bag his 11th goal of the season, and fourth of the Cup run.
“Getting to the game and finding out you’re not starting was disappointing but where I was then, and the squad we had, you knew you had a part to play,” said Rendell, now 36 and still banging in the goals for AFC Totton in the Southern League Division One South. “I don’t know why but I’ve said it since day one, I had some feeling I would play some part and you just hope as a striker that you’ll get an opportunity.
“It was nil-nil and you just want your chance. I came on with Stuart Fleetwood and you just hope for that one chance. I think Alex Lawless had a chance just before, I slipped him in and he’s just volleyed wide, and I thought that could have been the chance. In games like that, when a Premier League side are level with us, you know they’re going to commit bodies forward.
“I just had to try and stay sharp and when that chance came, it was mainly instinct really, there’s not too much you can think about, it was just the instinct took over and thankfully for us it ended up in the back of the net!
“Fleets slid JJ in down the left, he ran forward with the fresh legs, great pull back into a perfect area and the rest is history. I didn’t actually see it hit the net because the position I was in, I kind of connected with it, I knew it went roughly up there and then you just hear the roar.
“The roar gives you shivers, even now, because I know there was 26,000 fans in the ground, but we had over 4,000 there ourselves and they were amazing!”
In an interview for ‘Our Town’ – the matchday programme for Saturday’s fourth round tie with Grimsby Town – Rendell spoke of his pride in the highlight of not only his 18-month spell at Kenilworth Road, but also his 20-year career.
“I keep telling my boy Finley about it now, I keep showing him, I’m not one of those that hide it away, it was a massively proud moment for me,” says Scott, who has 16 goals to his name so far this season from 19 matches, while also coaching at ProDirect Academy in Southampton.
“Now he’s ten and plays football himself, he’s old enough to understand what is going on and he loves football. He’s a striker himself and to say his dad was part of that means a lot to me. If he manages to score and knock a Premier League team out of the FA Cup then fair play to him!”
For the full interview with Scott, purchase ‘Our Town’ at Saturday’s game v Grimsby for £3.50.
Thanks to Craig Hobbs Photography for the picture of Scott in action.