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.
PAUL DONOVAN recommends three new books that explore the human relationship with nature
PAUL DONOVAN recommends an excellent stage adaptation of Stephen King’s classic portrayal of the the injustice of the US prison system
Labour councillor PAUL DONOVAN wonders why the right-wing party gets so much more media attention than it seems to merit
PAUL DONOVAN relishes the spectacle of a 1950s detective in pursuit of a 500-year-old murder mystery
