THE ZEBRA CROSSING

Brechin ace recalls the day he was spotted by Bhoys boss Brendan at FIVE-YEARS-OLD

THE player who boasts the longest association with Brendan Rodgers in Scottish football is out to wreck his dream of domestic invincibility.

Brechin midfielder James Dale (below) owes his career to the Celtic gaffer after being recruited by Rodgers as a five-year-old at Reading.

The quirky coincidence has been revealed as City bid to cause the greatest upset in Scottish Cup history by denying the holders this afternoon in the fourth round at Celtic Park.

Dale, 23, has taken a meandering route to the Championship club via stints at Wycombe, Bristol Rovers, Stirling University and Forfar.

But it all started out in the local leagues in his home town, when he caught the eye of Rodgers after going head to head with his son, Anton, for rival tots’ teams.

Dale said: “I played for a local club, Wokingham Town and Anton Rodgers – who is my age – played for our big rivals, Woodley Zebras.

“My dad, Phil, coached our team and we seemed to play the Zebras every week. And that was where I caught the eye of Brendan.

“He was a youth team manager at Reading and invited me to play with their Under-7s. I stayed there until the age of 13. Even then, he still looked out for me and took me over for a trial at Chelsea.

“He was also working on youth development when I left the Royals.

“Brendan was a super teacher and hats off to him for everything he has gone on to achieve in the game.

“He even guided me to one of my first successes as a player.

“We took part in a five-a-side tournament in the Reading area when we were all kids and he was our coach. “Anton and I played, as did George Saville, who is now with Millwall, and Connor Wickham, who’s at Crystal Palace. Talk about star-studded!

“Brendan was brilliant and was great with the kids.

“It would be fabulous to catch up with him before or after the game. It would be nice if he sees the team sheet and remembers my name, even after all these years.”

Brechin have banked just four points, all from draws, in 21 league matches.

But Dale said: “There’s no point in turning up for any football game, whether it’s Celtic, Barcelona or Brazil, thinking you’re already beaten. Celtic players have two legs, just like us. The only difference is they train full-time and their players enjoy a bit of publicity.”