Barrow's first black player

[Hadrian]

Happy to do so.

The same source as before has Dave making his league début on 18/08/1979, the season opener, as our US chums like to say. It was also the first day of the Alliance Premier League which changed identity a number of times before becoming today's National League. Barrow beat Yeovil Town 2-0 in front of 2027, both goals being scored by Colin Cowperthwaite.

[dg1937]

I'm reviving this thread with a request for help. But first congratulations on your promotion to the EFL, exciting times for the club!

Earlier in the year I asked who your first black player was and we established that it was most likely Dave Busby. The reason for my interest is that I am writing / have written 'Football's Black Pioneers' which tells the story of the first black player at each of the EFL clubs which, of course, you now are. Dave played a total of 12 games for you in the first half of the 1979/80 season and what I would really like is an image to go alongside the words in the book. A picture of Dave in Barrow's strip would be ideal but I accept that's unlikely. But does anyone have a programme that mentions him, for instance his name in the team line up?

If anyone has something that mentions Dave I'd love to hear from you.

Good luck for the coming season.

[Lancaster Branch]

You could contact our local paper, see what’s in their archives.

[Moribund]

You could contact our local paper, see what’s in their archives.

The archives are in storage somewhere, going mouldy.

[Swattylad]

Who remembers Peter Wilson? Played in the same team with Jackie Keen and Billy Gordon. I am not certain of Peter’s heritage, but he always appeared colored to me. Right half if my memory serves me.

[Holkerbird]

Who remembers Peter Wilson? Played in the same team with Jackie Keen and Billy Gordon. I am not certain of Peter’s heritage, but he always appeared colored to me. Right half if my memory serves me.

I remember Peter Wilson, one of my favourite players but sorry I can't help you on his heritage. I never really took much notice of that sort of thing but recall him having black hair and was an excellent player but on reflection I would say no.

[barrowfan]

Really?! It's the phrase I hear all the time at the moment on television/radio. I agree that 'coloured' is inappropriate (and never say it). This article seems to support me: https://www.politicalanimalmagazine.com ... -of-colour

Shouldn’t the white person be the coloured one? After our complex changes colour a lot more than a black persons?

Apparently the correct term is now is now BAME.

Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic.

[Lancaster Branch]

You could contact our local paper, see what’s in their archives.

The archives are in storage somewhere, going mouldy.

That’s a shame.

We should crowdfund a rescue mission led by pjdaly.

[barrowfan]

I'm reviving this thread with a request for help. But first congratulations on your promotion to the EFL, exciting times for the club!

Earlier in the year I asked who your first black player was and we established that it was most likely Dave Busby. The reason for my interest is that I am writing / have written 'Football's Black Pioneers' which tells the story of the first black player at each of the EFL clubs which, of course, you now are. Dave played a total of 12 games for you in the first half of the 1979/80 season and what I would really like is an image to go alongside the words in the book. A picture of Dave in Barrow's strip would be ideal but I accept that's unlikely. But does anyone have a programme that mentions him, for instance his name in the team line up?

If anyone has something that mentions Dave I'd love to hear from you.

Good luck for the coming season.

Google 'Dave Busby footballer' Loads of photos and info

[pjdaly]

Sorry, Lancaster, I don't have any photos of Dave Busby in a Barrow shirt but Barrow Fan is right, best to look on the net. That's where I took the accompanying photo from (though in his WBA days) and this is pretty much how I remember he appeared when he played alongside Cowps in the early part of the 1979-80 season. I do have a 1979-80 squad photo but Dave is not on it, so it was taken either before he joined us or after he left.

As for Peter Wilson - - - - accompanying profile and photo doesn't suggest anything of Black or Ethnic origin but who knows? As the profile says, he continued to work in Vickers till he passed on. What I can say is that I know somebody who was pals with him and worked in the Yard alongside him and - - - - wait for it - - - - claimed that he just turned round at work, a few days after Peter had died, and saw him standing there in front of him. And yes, he was being deadly serious but whether he seriously saw the dead is not for me to comment upon. Wintergreen would probably prefer that this topic of conversation be left till page 94 (never mind seeing the dead, has anybody ever seen page 94???)

[Bingo]

nice seeing these pictures, I like how we often read of players who come from different places and then settle in Barrow once they finish playing, shows what a good place it is

[SKIPPER]

I remember Peter Wilson as a kid coming round to our house to collect insurance.The above says he worked in Vickers which would suggest he either had a part-time job as well or it was during the summer while he was playing as I believe players were only paid during the season in them days.

[xerxes]

I'm reviving this thread with a request for help. But first congratulations on your promotion to the EFL, exciting times for the club!

Earlier in the year I asked who your first black player was and we established that it was most likely Dave Busby. The reason for my interest is that I am writing / have written 'Football's Black Pioneers' which tells the story of the first black player at each of the EFL clubs which, of course, you now are. Dave played a total of 12 games for you in the first half of the 1979/80 season and what I would really like is an image to go alongside the words in the book. A picture of Dave in Barrow's strip would be ideal but I accept that's unlikely. But does anyone have a programme that mentions him, for instance his name in the team line up?

If anyone has something that mentions Dave I'd love to hear from you.

Good luck for the coming season.

Phill Yelland is the club historian, he might have some info. Not sure how to contact him, you could try the club's Facebook page.

[dg1937]

I'd like to thank people for their contributions.

For the book we will go with a cropped head and shoulders shot similar to the one above. In normal times you can access copies of old newspapers through the British Library, unfortunately at the moment they aren't making the bound volumes available, presumably because it wouldn't be possible to disinfect them after use.

'Football's Black Pioneers' will be published on 31st August, available through all good booksellers (and Amazon!). It has the stories of the first black player at all the EFL clubs, including Barrow and Harrogate Town. Viv Anderson (Nottingham Forest) has written a foreword for us. If you are only interested in Barrow then, honestly speaking, it isn't worth buying as there's only one page on Barrow (not much of a salesman am I?!) but there are plenty of good stories among the 92. The Conker Editions website has more details if you are interested.

Cheers.

[barrowfan]

The comments about comedians at HS (!) set me thinking about Spike Rawlings (Rawlinson).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_Rawlings