Brand new FA Ambassador, Viv Anderson, celebrated a landmark football anniversary on Saturday having become England’s first ever black international at senior level on 29 November 1978.
The 30th anniversary of Anderson’s debut cap against Czechoslovakia at Wembley Stadium coincides with the ex-Arsenal and Nottingham Forest defender’s appointment as an FA Ambassador.
Anderson joins the likes of Paul Elliott, Hope Powell and Brendon Batson as FA Ambassadors for equality and spreading The FA’s message of Football for All.
Looking back on his England debut under Ron Greenwood, Anderson recalled: "It was a cold evening, and I remember one half of the pitch was soft, the other was hard. Nothing like the green baize you see at Wembley these days. We had to change boots at half-time. Fortunately I had a hand in the goal and we won 1-0."
If the game itself was nothing special, Anderson was acutely aware of its wider significance. "Of course I was, because it was a big thing at the time. There were no black faces on the football field. Okay, there was Brendon Batson and Clyde Best before him, but that was it. And to be the first black player to don an England shirt in a full international…I can see why people made a bit of a fuss."
Anderson cites Trevor Brooking, and then England skipper, Kevin Keegan, as being instrumental in helping him prepare mentally for the occasion: "They were the big players at the time and it was good to have them on hand to pass on some of their knowledge and experience. I remember Bob Latchford telling me that I’d remember this night forever. He was right."
And it wasn’t just fellow pro’s who showed their support, as the England faithful made their voices heard too: "It was a very positive reaction from the terraces. To them, it was all about the football."
Thirty years later and England’s most recent game against Germany in Berlin saw seven black players make an appearance.
Anderson urges those currently on the fringes of the squad to be persistent in waiting for their break: "The likes of Young and Agbonlahor are talented individuals whose chance will come if their attitude is right. They need to listen to the older pro's like I did and appreciate every ounce of time they have as part of the national set-up," said Anderson who won 30 England caps and was selected for two World Cup squads as well.
Kick It Out’s Piara Powar said: "Many of today's younger England fans will take for granted the black faces in Fabio Capello's team. There were seven in the last fixture against Germany alone.
"But in 1978, it was a rarity to see a young black man achieving so highly, both on the football pitch and society in general.
"This is a milestone for Viv, and gives the rest of us an opportunity to take stock of a significant turning point for sport in this country."
