Jambo’s Memorial Football Match – Auld Firm, Rangers Vs Celtic

Each year my son’s friends all come together in his memory and play an auld firm football game. This is organised by Lee McNeil and Gary Short. This is something that the boys all feel they can do to keep Jamie’s memory alive as Jamie loved football and was very passionate about it, often too passionate haha. All the boys played an amazing game with Rangers winning for the 2nd year running, and Jamie’s wee brother Oscar, scoring a penalty goal for his big bro!

Jamie always loved football from a very young age and he was very skilled, he played in many football teams growing up and he thrived in the environment, although often got in trouble for speaking out of tone and anyone who knew my Jamie will know exactly what I mean. Jamie liked to have his say haha. Even as a little boy he would always have a ball at his feet, he would be out from morning till night, only returning when he was hungry, he also loved his food! He would gather up people wherever he went to make a football team, just so that he could play for as long as possible. Many times I would have to tell him to strip at the door because he was covered in dirt from head to toe. He was a typical boy and just loved being outdoors.

I started to write this blog last night but I began to feel triggered by sharing these memories. I write this, not to upset anyone but to let you all know that he was my first born son and losing him has been the greatest pain of my life and writing these blogs can often bring things up for me that can be difficult to process. But I want you all to know that if you are in a place where you are struggling with your children or you are even sitting in a place of not feeling like you can support their needs financially, please don’t worry because all our kids want are memories, because in the end, this is all we have. Can you see why I feel a form of sadness? but at the same time, I feel love and gratitude for the memories that my boy left in my heart because nothing, and no one can take these from me.

So, to have Jamie’s friends come together and create this annual memorial match helps to keep these memories alive, it’s not just about a football match, it’s about memories, memories that will last a lifetime and live on in each in everyone of the people who Jamie knew and loved and who knew and loved him.

Here’s to many more of these football matches in memory of my Jamie Rae, Jambo to his pals.

our Fra, scoring the winning goal for Rangers in penalties!