THE Caithness roots of Spain’s oldest professional football club are to be marked by a challenge game this summer.
Arrangements have been firmed up for Lybster FC to fly out to the Andalucian home of Recreativo de Huelva, a former La Liga side founded 129 years ago by a family doctor from the Caithness village.
The link is still celebrated by the Continental outfit and their officials are lining up a series of commemorative and social events around the match, due to take place on July 14.
A party of 50 players, officials and supporters from the Caithness Amateur FA first division side are set to make the trip.
Alexander Mackay had left his native Lybster to work as a medical officer at a mine in Huelva. He and a colleague initially set up a recreation club for the mine workers before founding the club, popularly known as Recre, in 1889.
After early success in regional cups and becoming the first Spanish club to defeat a Portuguese side, they played in the lower leagues before winning promotion to the top flight in the later 1970s. Their heyday was in 2006 when a 3-0 win at the home of Real Madrid was the highlight in an eighth placed finish in La Liga.
Their fortunes have since dipped on and off the park and they now play in Segunda Division B, the third tier of Spanish football.
Lybster FC chairman Donald Henderson said preparations are well advanced for the trip. He said: “We’re an amateur club and are going to be playing in a stadium that has a capacity of 21,000 against a club that attracts crowds of 5,000 to 6,000 and which not long ago was beating Real Madrid in La Liga”.
Mr Henderson said Dr Mackay was known to have packed a leather football in his suitcase when he left for Spain. As part of the commemoration of the link, Lybster will have a replica glass football produced and set in a presentation case resembling a suitcase to present to Recre.
A street in Huelva has been named after the doctor, while Recre stage a memorial on July 12 to mark the anniversary of Dr Mackay’s death.
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