Football’s Black Pioneers
PAUL DONOVAN reviews Bill Hern’s and David Gleave’s book chronicling the first players of colour who graced the pitch for the 92 clubs in England
A general view of ‘The Three Degrees’ statue of West Bromwich Albion's most celebrated black players from the 1980's era Brendon Batson, Cyrille Regis and Laurie Cunningham
PLYMOUTH Argyle’s Jack Leslie was selected to play for the England football team against Northern Ireland on October 25 1925, then inexplicably dropped — the reason being, he was black.
In the event, Leslie ended up scoring twice for Argyle, who cruised to a 7-2 victory over Bournemouth on the day of the England game. England drew 0-0.
The story of Leslie is one of the many fascinating accounts contained in Football’s Black Pioneers by Bill Hern and David Gleave.
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