A tall, hard-working centre forward, Scott Rendell joined Reading at 16 and spent three and a half years there, gaining experience with loans to Hayes, Forest Green and Aldershot. During his loan at Forest Green at the start of the 2005/06 season, Rendell scored the side's first ever goal as a professional football club - the winner against Cambridge United in the U's first ever Conference game!

He joined Crawley on loan at the start of the 2006/07 season and made the move permanent in January 2007, when he was their leading scorer with nine goals.  He finished the campaign with eleven league goals and one in the FA Cup, and when he became available at the end of the season he was snapped up on a free transfer by Cambridge United and signed a two year deal.

A forward who can play as the target man or link the play, Scott started the season on the bench but after twice coming off the bench to score late goals he forced his way into the starting line-up and never looked back. Developing his game under Jimmy Quinn, he had scored 22 goals in all competitions and 17 in the league by mid-February 2008, making him the second highest scorer in the BSP and attacting bids from Football League clubs.

A bid from Peterborough United was rejected but Scott submitted a written transfer request and was reluctantly allowed to join our local rivals, initially on loan, with a permanent deal agreed for the end of the season.