FANS of the European football championships will fondly remember how the winners of the tournament 16 years ago were last-minute call-ups, Denmark, on account of the late exclusion of war-torn former Yugoslavia.
It was not dissimilar at the end of last week, when a team comprising Scottish football journalists won a four-team, six-a-side competition hosted by the Clydesdale Bank, sponsors of the Scottish Premier League.
For one reason or another, freelancer, Kenny MacDonald, found himself desperately hitting the phones an hour before departure, from Glasgow, for the event, taking place at Hibernian FC’s new training complex, in East Lothian.
But goalkeeper, MacDonald, was rewarded for his perseverance when the News of the World sports writer, Graeme Bryce, accepted the chance to play. Also, agency reporter, Darren Johnstone, from Capital City Press, was able to step into the breach.
What’s more, Bryce scored the winner, as the final – between MacDonald’s men and a team from the Scottish Parliament – went to a penalty shoot-out, after finishing 3-3.
