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Footballs black pioneers


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1 hour ago, sage owl said:

Remember the game Viv Anderson played at Hillsborough for Forest think he was only about 17 at the time. Some of the stuff that was shouted at him by grown men around us on the kop would have had people locked up these days. Different times.

I remember Luther blisset of Watford  getting shocking abuse by our fans  at hilsbrough  the 78-79 season

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10 hours ago, panda800 said:

I remember Luther blisset of Watford  getting shocking abuse by our fans  at hilsbrough  the 78-79 season

 

I remember Floyd Streete getting plenty of abuse when Wednesday played Cambridge, late 70s early 80s, I couldn't believe what people got away with saying and nobody said anything.

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7 hours ago, Statto Owl said:

Tony Cunningham, November 1983

 

We're pretty late on the list really, most teams after us only joined the league recently 

 

It is hard to know the answer for sure, as I think some of the other footballers who played for Wednesday in the 19th century might have had mixed-race heritage but this might have been lost in the mists of time (or hidden, even by them, as unfortunately it would have held people back in less enlightened times). But Alan Thompson who debuted in 1970 would be one that would be earlier on the list.

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On 30/09/2021 at 16:45, LoadABallacks said:

I've just ordered a copy based solely off this comment. 

I dont think you'll regret it. The book is based on s tremendous amount of research. It is very thorough and full of interesting life stories. If at times a little depressing with what black players faced not too long ago. 

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On 26/09/2021 at 15:08, Statto Owl said:

Just come across an ad for this book online.

 

It gives a mini-biography for the first black player at each of the current 92 league clubs. 

 

Here's the list 

https://footballs-black-pioneers.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/FOOTBALLS-BLACK-PIONEERS-ANNEX-1.pdf

 

The Blades had their first black player in 1895. The Owls were quite a lot later with....?

 

Guesses below, without following the link of course!

Arthur Wharton was the black professional player when he signed for Rotherham Town in 1889 (he was semi-professional at PNE), and had quite an illustrious sporting career going on the play professional rugby and cricket, before winning a cycling championship in his spare time!!  He was also records as being the first man to run 100 metres in 10 seconds, a record he held for 30+ years. 

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On 26/09/2021 at 17:02, akbuk said:

Arthur Wharton played for Doncaster Rivers and into recently was buried in an unmarked grave in Edlington a memorial as now been erected ,I think Mark Lawrenson  got hold of the story and I believe a Match of the Day film was made

I taught at a Primary School in Edlington for many years and we taught about him every year. 

 

People around there were very proud of his links with the village and the pit. I was still a teenager when the new headstone was erected so not teaching then but from what I understand it was a big deal in the village.

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On 11/10/2021 at 13:37, Leaping Lannys Perm said:

I taught at a Primary School in Edlington for many years and we taught about him every year. 

 

People around there were very proud of his links with the village and the pit. I was still a teenager when the new headstone was erected so not teaching then but from what I understand it was a big deal in the village.

Which school did you teach in

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On 11/10/2021 at 11:37, Leaping Lannys Perm said:

I taught at a Primary School in Edlington for many years and we taught about him every year. 

 

People around there were very proud of his links with the village and the pit. I was still a teenager when the new headstone was erected so not teaching then but from what I understand it was a big deal in the village.

I never knew that until this thread

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On 01/10/2021 at 03:07, sage owl said:

I think the forest match was 75 ish.

I started going to Hillsborough with my dad and, sometimes, with my uncle, from about 1974 onwards. The abiding memories I have from those early games were loud “monkey” noises, and my dad and uncle (and other men with kids) saying things like “steady on; there are kids around here” and being to to “Fvvck off”! Obviously, this won’t have been every match but I can’t remember much else from the mid-70s. 

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43 minutes ago, shandypants said:

I started going to Hillsborough with my dad and, sometimes, with my uncle, from about 1974 onwards. The abiding memories I have from those early games were loud “monkey” noises, and my dad and uncle (and other men with kids) saying things like “steady on; there are kids around here” and being to to “Fvvck off”! Obviously, this won’t have been every match but I can’t remember much else from the mid-70s. 

I honestly can’t remember hearing the monkey noises early - mid seventies when I still went with my dad . But then again I didn’t even know racism was a thing then.When I started going with my mates mid seventies onwards and going away is when I became aware of it.

 It’s quite staggering to think how different things are now.

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5 minutes ago, sage owl said:

I honestly can’t remember hearing the monkey noises early - mid seventies when I still went with my dad . But then again I didn’t even know racism was a thing then.When I started going with my mates mid seventies onwards and going away is when I became aware of it.

 It’s quite staggering to think how different things are now.

It may have only happened a few times and I was 5 years old in 1974 so I would have only remembered things that stick out at that age but I can clearly remember it. It was a indication of attitudes at that time that my dad and uncle didn’t take exception to the fact that players were being racially abused but took exception to the fact that people were racially abusing players when children were in earshot. 

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On 26/09/2021 at 15:28, matthefish2002 said:

I thought Tony Cunningham was Wednesday's first black player in 1983?

I remember him scoring against Newcastle (With Keegan playing) from about 30 yards out. Was sat as a kid in the South Stand and you could feel the stand shake when it went in, or it felt like that anyway.

That was a brilliant goal memory slips but did we sign him from Barnsley for £85000

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