COLIN RANDELL

Born: 12 December 1952

1. Came from: Coventry City   Went to: Exeter City

1. First game: 27 October 1973   Last game: 07 May 1977

2. Came from: Exeter City   Went to: Blackburn Rovers

2. First game: 04 August 1979   Last game: 15 May 1982

Appearances: 288 (286/2)   Goals: 19

Born in Skewen, a village in Glamorgan, between Swansea and Neath, in South Wales, the versatile Randell began his career as an 18-year-old apprentice at Coventry City in 1970 but was unable to break into the first team during his three years there. He was also capped by Wales at schoolboy, youth levels. Ironically, his path to a debut at Highfield Road was largely blocked by a certain Ernie Machin, who was later to become his team-mate at Home Park.

It was therefore only upon securing a move to Argyle that he made his professional debut in October 1973. He was an integral part of the Tony Waiters team that reached the League Cup semi-final in the 1973-74 season and were promoted the following season as champions of Division Three, also earning himself a Wales under-23 call-up. Throughout his career, his versatility was proven as he showed himself to be adept in midfield or within the back four.

Randell made 157 appearances, scoring 11 times in all competitions for the club under Waiters. However, with Waiters sacked just two years after promotion, in April 1977, he fell out of favour with new boss, Mike Kelly. He left Argyle for Exeter City, where his former Argyle team-mate Bobby Saxton was manager, for a bargain fee of £10,000. In three years at St James' Park, he made 88 appearances and scored six goals.

In a twist of fate, it was to be Saxton who brought Randell back to Home Park when he was appointed as Argyle's manager in 1979, replacing Kelly, and once again Randell established himself as a regular in the first team. The move cost Argyle £60,000 - a tidy profit for the Grecians, outlining the folly of Kelly's original sale price.

He added a further 131 appearances in green in his second spell and scored a further eight goals under Saxton and then Bobby Moncur. After those three further seasons at Home Park, he reunited with Saxton again, at Blackburn Rovers, in August 1982 for £40,000, becoming a consistent performer for three years. He made 73 league appearances and scored seven times for the Ewood Park club, although his time in Lancashire included a loan spell with Newport County in the 1983-84 season, for whom he played 15 times without scoring.

Following his release by Rovers, he initially made the short move across to Preston North End in September 1986, but being unable to break into their first team, he made the return to south Wales permanent and ended his professional career with Swansea City, making 22 league appearances, scoring once in a two-year stint.

He moved to Barry Town before becoming player-manager of Briton Ferry Athletic, as well as working in a fitness capacity for South Wales Police, before becoming Head of their Physical Education and Personal Safety department.